


heart made of glass, my mind of stone

by princessironspider



Series: Isn't it Lovely [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anxiety, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, Multi, Mute Tony Stark, POV Multiple, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Pepper Potts, Protective Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Has Trust Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony-centric, psychosomatic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 05:33:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 54,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20130160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessironspider/pseuds/princessironspider
Summary: Tony hasn't spoken since SiberiaIf he doesn't talk, he can't get close to people, and they can't hurt him again...right?Now being translated to Russian on https://ficbook.net/readfic/9299618 :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning--just a blanket warning because this will probably deal with a lot of Tony's mental health issues like his PTSD and anxiety.
> 
> I thought this was an interesting story line, where Tony has been betrayed so many times that it takes a lasting toll, and through that he learns who is really there for him.
> 
> Also this takes place after civil war but homecoming doesn't happen in this story and Tony and Peter had met before civil war.

Peter took a deep breath as he walked into the conference room. It had been a while since he had been to the tower and never under these circumstances. Happy had showed up after school saying he was needed at the tower, but didn't say anything else until he dropped him off and told him to head to the conference room. But then Happy told him that Miss Potts and Colonel Rhodes were waiting for him, and he became worried and confused. 

"Good afternoon, Peter. I hope the drive here was pleasant?" Miss Potts said as Peter stumbled in and took a seat across from the pair. Peter's eyes widened about being addressed and he nodded quickly. 

"Yes, Miss Potts." he said, cursing how young he sounded. Miss Potts sent him amused smile.

"Call me Pepper please. I trust you've met Rhodey?" Miss Po-Pepper said to him, smiling warmly, calming him down slightly. 

"Yes. Nice to see you again Colonel Rhodes, sir." the colonel smirked at Peter's politeness, and sent him a small nod. 

"Okay, Peter I'm sure you were wondering why you were brought here, rather than to meet up with Tony?" Pepper said, her voice slipping into a more professional air. Peter nodded meekly, but didn't dare interrupt the CEO. "Well, it's about Tony. I know you guys had gotten pretty close before the airport incident. He talked about you all the time." Pepper continued, and Peter could have sworn he heard her voice break a little. Peter nodded again. 

"Is there something wrong? Is he okay? I never did hear from him after Happy brought me home from Germany, I was worried." Peter said quickly, hoping there was nothing wrong. 

"Well...he's okay physically. Mentally though...not so much. I'll just start from the beginning. After the fight at the airport, Tony found out that Steve was right about the other super soldiers and went to go help. What happened next we only know because of the camera on Tony's suit. But from the looks of it, Tony was shown a video of Barnes, or the Winter Soldier, killing his parents. Steve had known, but had kept it from him. So, Tony naturally was upset and attacked Barnes, which made Steve mad and he fought back. It escalated to the point where Steve and Barnes left Tony with a busted suit in Siberia. We got FRIDAY's alert a couple hours later and found Tony in bad shape. Since then he's healed physically. But..." Colonel Rhodes explained, but by the time he got to the end he choked up and shook his head, unable to continue. Pepper reached out and rubbed his arm, and continued for him in a soft voice. 

"Well, Tony has had a lot of mental health issues in the past, which have been exacerbated by the traumatic experiences he has been through in the past couple years." she paused to take a deep breath and Peter found himself getting more worried with every word directed at him, "and Siberia seemed to be the breaking point, and Tony hasn't spoken since. We've consulted several doctors and psychologists and they've concluded that it's probably psychosomatic. They think it's his subconscious mind's way of protecting him from more trauma." Pepper concluded quietly, pain radiating from her eyes. Peter sat there quietly for a moment. 

"What do you need me to do?" he asked, assuming he was brought here for a reason. Pepper smiled tightly. 

"Tony was always happy when you came around to work with him in the workshop. So we wanted to talk to you about having a weekly lab time with him every Friday. We already cleared it with your aunt." Pepper said, hope seeping into her voice, "Tony's doctors said it was best to keep him surrounded by people who care for him and who make him happy, and that includes you." Peter gaped at her. 

"Me? I mean I didn't know he even liked having me around. But I will do whatever I can to help Miss Potts. Friday's sound great...but um, how should I approach him? I don't want to make anything worse..." Peter trailed off when Pepper and Rhodey both let out relieved breaths at his answer. 

"Well he has been using either a notepad or sometimes sign language when he needs something. But mostly he just listens to us talk. I had an earpiece made for you that has FRIDAY in it to translate his signs or any other gestures he makes for you so you can know what he is saying, without making him feeling like a burden." Pepper explained, setting a small earpiece in front of him. Peter grabbed it and set it in his ear, eyes widening when he heard FRIDAY greet him. "The most important part is to make sure you don't get frustrated with his lack of speech. If we ever make it seem like he's a burden it will just ruin any progress he's made." 

"Okay. Any questions?" Peter paused for a moment before shaking his head. 

"Okay, ready to go start your first lab day?" Colonel Rhodes asked jokingly, trying to diffuse the worry on Peter's face. 

"Yeah, yeah." Peter said, trying to project confidence. Pepper nodded approvingly and motioned for him to follow her. 

Peter was still a ball of nerves as Pepper opened the doors to Mr. Stark's personal workshop and ushered him in. 

"Tony?" she said softly, gaining the engineers attention. He spun around in his chair with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He looked from her to Peter and raised an eyebrow at Pepper. "Peter came over for lab day. We talked about making his internship more legitimate remember? So I cleared it with his aunt and he will be coming over every Friday to work with you, is that okay?" Pepper asked, and Peter noticed how gentle she was with him without showing him pity. He watched as Mr. Stark's face lit up a bit and he nodded with a small smile. Pepper let out a small breath and smiled at the both of them. 

"Alright then boys, I will leave you to your science. Tony, please behave and Peter, Happy will be here around 8 to take you back to your aunts okay?" Mr. Stark gave her a mock salute with a smirk on his face, while Peter just nodded. He watched as Pepper left and pushed down the panic building in his chest. He really didn't want to do anything to upset Mr. Stark. So he turned to the older man with a smile. 

"What are we going to work on first Mr. Stark? Cause I was thinking you could show me how to fix my suit..." he trailed off as Mr. Stark raised an accusing eyebrow at him, "because maybe I got a hole in the suit?" Peter finished weakly. He watched as a myriad of emotions flit across his mentors face, finally settling on concern. His eyes trailed up and down Peter's figure as if looking for injuries. "Oh I'm fine Mr. Stark really! Some mugger threw a knife at me last week and it just grazed my side, but got a hole in the suit. It only left a scratch and it healed, see look?" Peter defended, lifting up and showing the engineer his newly healed side. The genius eyes Peter for a moment before nodding and gesturing for Peter to follow him to his worktable. He grabbed a notepad and started writing something before showing it to Peter. 

_Okay kid, grab your suit. I will show you how to do it step by step and then you'll repeat after me. Sound good? _

Peter read through the note and started nodding vigorously. "Okay Mr. Stark!" He ran over to his backpack and grabbed his suit. 

The next couple hours were some of the best of Peter's life. That may be an exaggeration but working next to THE Tony Stark was something Peter had dreamed about his whole life. Peter had gotten so into his work, following Mr. Stark's every move and repeating it, looking to the genius for approval after every step and getting a proud smile in return, that he hadn't been checking the time. So when Mr. Stark tapped him on the shoulder while he was looking at some schematics he almost jumped to the ceiling. Peter's eyes snapped to the man when he heard tapping on the table. 

"Sorry, kid. It's eight. Happy is here." Tony signed, and FRIDAY promptly translated it in Peter's ear. 

"Oh yeah! Sorry Mr. Stark! I had a lot of fun!" Peter said smiling at his mentor, shoving his suit into his backpack. "See you next week?" he asked standing next to the door. 

Mr. Stark gave him a small smile and signed back, "Yeah kid, next week." Peter beamed at FRIDAY's translation and waved a hasty goodbye and rushed to a very angry Happy who was waiting by the car.

The ride back to his apartment was relatively quiet, Peter knowing Happy didn't like to listen to him ramble. Which is why when Happy started speaking, his mouth dropped open in shock. 

"How did the lab go?" Happy asked, trying and failing to be nonchalant, but Peter knew he was really asking about how his friend was. 

"It was fun. Mr. Stark seemed to enjoy watching me struggle with sewing the suit back together. He even looked excited when I asked about next week." Peter said. Happy gave him an appreciative smile as he pulled up in front of his apartment complex. 

"Good. I'll see you next week then kid." Peter smiled at the words and hurried out of the car to his apartment, yelling a quick hello to May before hurrying to his room. 

Later that night, when he was up late on a website learning sign language instead of sleeping, May couldn't find it in herself to get mad. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper notices that Tony is a lot happier when Peter is around, but what happens when Tony has a bad day while Peter is over?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: again there will be a lot of talk of mental health issues, so just want to give a general warning. Mostly PTSD and anxiety.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! I really like how it turned out and I'm excited to see what you guys think.

Pepper walked into the workshop and smiled at the scene playing out if front of her. Peter was talking and signing a story about one of his patrols while Tony watched, an amused smile on his face and a light in his eyes that hadn't been there in a while. Peter had been coming to the lab every Friday for the past three months and slowly Tony had been getting happier. He went from only signing and writing notes when asked a question, to using those methods to start and carry conversations, even if they didn't last very long and the other person carried most of it. But Pepper saw that as progress, and she had a certain little spider to thank. She walked over and sat next to Tony on the couch as Peter sent her a small wave and continued with his story.

"And I was like 'Dude didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with knives?' and webbed the knife into the wall and then webbed the bad guy to the ground. It was awesome. The lady I saved bought me a hot chocolate after." Peter finished with a big smile. She turned and watched as Tony signed back.

"We really need to have a conversation about not sassing bad guys Pete." Tony was looking at Peter with a fond but exasperated look on his face. Peter rolled his eyes and spoke and signed simultaneously, as he had been doing since he showed up to the workshop having mastered sign language in a week. The look on Tony's face when Peter started signing to him was one Pepper would never forget. 

"What is the fun in that? Spider-man is known for his clever quips." Tony raised his eyebrow, she could tell he didn't believe Peter at all. 

"Do they now?" Peter sighed.

"Well no. But they will!" he said with determination. Tony rolled his eyes and ruffled the kids hair before turning his attention to Pepper.

"Is it time for the sass master to go home?" he asked, trying to pretend that he wasn't sad at the thought of Peter leaving. She heard Peter huff at the nickname and smiled. 

"No, actually. May called and said she had to work the night shift and didn't want Peter home alone, so she asked if he could stay over and I agreed." Pepper said, her sign language skills weren't up to par so she had to settle for just talking and relying on her earpiece. Tony's face stretched into a smile as he looked to Peter who looked too excited. 

"You hear that kid? More science!" Tony signed, but Pepper interrupted before they could get too excited. 

"Nope, you two have been down here for hours. I came down here to drag you guys upstairs for some dinner before you come lose yourselves in another project and I don't see you until tomorrow." Pepper said, fixing Tony with a glare when he started to protest. His shoulders slumped in defeat. 

"Fine." he signed, gesturing for her to lead the way. 

Once they reached the kitchen, Pepper looked around the kitchen to see what they had to work with. 

"Spaghetti okay?" she asked the boys as they settled next to each other at the breakfast bar. Tony nodded and Peter gave a thumbs up, not looking away from his phone.

She started getting out the ingredients while watching Tony and Peter interact, warmth filling her chest at the sight. 

Tony tapped Peter on the shoulder and pointed at his phone, clearly asking what was so important. Peter understood immediately, with a skill Pepper envied. He put down his phone so he could sign. 

"Oh. Ned was texting about Decathalon next week. MJ has been really worried that we won't win State in a couple weeks, so he was asking if I wanted to study before practice next week." Peter finished and picked his phone back up finishing his text before putting his phone away completely. Tony waited patiently until he had the teens attention again. 

"When is State?" Peter perked up.

"In three weeks. If we win we get to go to Nationals again! This time they are having it in California. Which is so cool and I really want to win because I've never been to California before!" Peter said, bouncing slightly with excitement. Tony smiled.

"Well you guys will do great I'm sure. Let me know if you ever need help studying, I've been told I'm smart." He signed with a smirk. 

"Careful Tony, you're sounding a little humble there." Pepper joked, watching as he sent her an insulted look before turning his attention back to the kid when he let out a small laugh. 

"I will Mr. Stark. Promise. You could probably help me with the engineering questions, that's one of my sections." Peter signed, with a hopeful smile. 

"Of course kid. Hey, when you go to State remind me and I'll come watch you." Tony signed casually, not noticing as Peter's jaw dropped, looking like he was about to self destruct. 

"Ok." was all he could muster. 

Pepper smiled at the pair from above the stove. She was so happy seeing Tony being so open with Peter. When they had found out what was going on, she worried she would never see him happy again. Her heart clenched at the memory of when she first came to see Tony after he got out of the hospital. His face was just devoid of all emotion as he stared around his lab. It killed her to see him like that, which is why she was so happy to be watching as he joked around with the teenager, just like before. It had been a long couple months to even get to this point. He still had bad days of course, especially after a really bad nightmare. On those days she was lucky if she even got him out of bed or off his couch in the lab. He would just stare into space with glassy eyes for hours, refusing to eat or sleep or even respond to her. She hated those days. 

"Okay. Dinner is served!" She said, shaking herself out of her thoughts and setting two plates in front of the boys before grabbing her own, content with just watching the two interact over dinner.

\---  
The next morning Pepper woke up with a bad feeling in her stomach. She felt Tony's presence next to her, having dragged him and Peter out of the lab at 2 a.m. She turned over to face him, feeling her heart drop in her chest. His eyes were glassy and he was staring at some point behind her. She reached out and rubbed her thumb over his cheek until his eyes met hers. 

"Is it a bad day? Blink once for yes, twice for no remember?" She asked quietly. She waited patiently until he blinked three times, a maybe. She could work with that. 

"Do you want me to send Peter home early? He's supposed to be here until May gets home later this afternoon." She kept her voice calm and gentle, to make sure she didn't push him further into himself. He blinked twice. No. She was a little surprised, but she hid it. 

"Okay. You tell me, are you ready to get out of bed or do you want me to go distract Peter until you are?" His eyes flicked over her shoulder again and she had to run her hands through his hair a couple times before his attention was back on her. He lifted one hand and finger-spelled slowly so she could understand. N-O-T Y-E-T. She nodded, moving to get out of bed.

"Okay I will go cook him some breakfast and I will come check on you in a little bit. Okay?" She asked softly, putting her robe over her pajamas. He managed a small nod, and she left the room. 

Peter was already seated at the breakfast bar when she walked in, typing away at something on his phone. His head snapped up when she entered the kitchen and she sent him a weary smile, shaking her head. 

"Bad day?" he asked quietly, looking sad.

"Yeah, but he's responsive so that's a good sign. He might be able to get out of it before the day is over." She said hopefully. Peter just nodded in understanding. She set out making them both breakfast, both of them getting lost in their own thoughts. They were both nearly finished with breakfast when FRIDAY broke the silence. 

"Peter, Boss has requested your presence in his room." Peter looked up in shock. He looked at her as though asking permission and she nodded softly. She watched as Peter tripped on his own feet in his rush to her room. 

"Pull up the surveillance for our room FRI." Pepper said quietly, wanting to make sure Tony didn't say or do anything he would regret. 

She watched as Peter slowly opened the door and shut it quietly behind him. Tony was sitting up in bed, to her surprise, and was watching as Peter approached the bed. Peter signed something, choosing not to use his voice and she could tell Tony was grateful.

"Hey, Mr. Stark." Tony patted the spot next to him and Peter sat down making sure to face Tony, so they could communicate. 

"Would you...just talk to me. About anything...please." Tony eventually signed, taking his time due to the shaking of his hands. Peter smiled softly and nodded. 

"Is it okay if I talk?" Tony gave a jerky nod, and Peter continued in a soft voice continuing to sign as well, "Okay, so I forgot to tell you that last week, May tried to make her own sushi. And let me tell you Mr. Stark our kitchen smelled like dead fish for a week-" Pepper muted the feed with a smile, watching as the tension slowly left Tony's shoulders and his hands slowly stopped shaking as he listened to Peter's story. She watched for a couple more minutes, before closing the feed, knowing Tony was in good hands with Peter. She owed that kid everything.

She spent the rest of her morning at the dining table, answering the flood of emails in her inbox. She had been doing most of her work from home the past couple months, but that didn't change her workload at all. She was interrupted several hours later by Peter's voice drifting down the hallway. She looked up to see Peter walking back into the living room with Tony behind him wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. 

"Do I even want to know?" she asked finally, after looking at the two of them with narrowed eyes. Peter let out a nervous laugh, and surprisingly Tony came to his rescue, signing his explanation. 

"The kid wanted to show me a sandwich shop in Queens before I drop him back home. I'm going incognito." She searched Tony's face. He seemed to have gained most of his color back and his eyes weren't as glassy as they had been. He gave her a small nod, and she knew that was his way of telling her he was okay. She nodded. 

"Okay. Please don't do anything stupid. I've got enough paperwork to handle." She said, winking at Peter who gave her a goofy smile. 

"No promises Pepper!" He said pulling Tony to the elevator. She barely made out Tony asking why she got to be Pepper when he was still Mr. Stark before the elevator doors closed behind them.

She let out a breath, feeling the worry fade away. 

Later that night, she typed out a text as she watched Tony's face light up as he signed enthusiastically about everything him and Peter did that day. 

_Thank you, Peter. -Pepper_

Tony was in the middle of telling her about when Peter made him drop his sandwich in his attempt to get Tony to look at the cute cat he saw, when she got a reply.

_No need to thank me, I'm happy I could help. -Peter_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhodey reflects on Tony's recovery when he gets some bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Panic attacks, Anxiety, and PTSD
> 
> Disclaimer as well, I am no expert in anything I mention in the chapter, I am just going off knowledge I've learned from experience and psych classes.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Rhodey cursed and kicked the chair in front of him. He forgot how powerful his braces were and watched, satisfied, when the chair launched into the opposite wall. He was livid. He had just gotten out of a meeting with the Accords council, and had some news that could ruin everything they have been working towards in the past couple months.

Rhodey had been by Tony's side since MIT, but he had never seen his best friend as broken as he was after Siberia. Not even his parents deaths or Afghanistan had caused this much damage. He missed his best friends voice. Rhodey knew this news had the potential to ruin any progress Tony has made in the past couple months. He was worried he'd never hear his best friends voice again.

\-- four months ago--

The first time Rhodey saw Tony after they rescued him from Siberia he was unconscious in a hospital bed. Rhodey had finally got released from his own hospital stay, as long as he stayed confined to his wheelchair.

He stared at the cuts and bruises all over Tony's figure, the biggest one stretched across his chest. It looked suspiciously like someone had shoved the edge of shield into his chest. Rhodey seethed silently, not even noticing when Tony started to stir.

He shot his head up when a hand touched his arm. He looked up to see the billionaire looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"Okay?" the genius choked out, his voice raw.

"I'm good Tones. Just focus on you for now." He reassured his friend, answering his silent question. Tony nodded and turned his head away and fell back asleep.

Little did Rhodey know, that would be the last time his best friend spoke.

The weeks following Tony's release from the hospital were a whirlwind of emotions. Tony hadn't spoken since that night in the hospital. At first the doctors were worried about possible brain damage causing the lack in speech, but after several CT scans and consultations with the best brain doctors in the country, they ruled out any physical causes. So they released Tony. Rhodey was the one to drive him home. Tony had been barely responsive in the hospital, and now he was staring out the window, eyes unseeing, and completely still. Anyone who knew Tony knew he was constantly active, his brain always working too fast for him the sit still. Rhodey didn't like seeing him like this at all.

The night he came home, Tony disappeared into his lab and put it on lockdown. Rhodey was concerned, but thought maybe he needed this space. The next morning, FRIDAY summoned him to the lab, Tony nowhere to be seen, and showed him the new leg braces Tony had somehow created overnight. After this night of inventing so Rhodey could walk again, Tony shut down for a week. He laid in his bed, completely silent and not moving. He would only get up when Rhodey or Pepper used physical force, and even then it was like he was a zombie. He barely ate, or slept. He just laid in bed, eyes unfocused staring at nothing.

When he called Pepper, she had dozens of psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, and any specialists she could find make house calls. They filtered in and out of Tony's room like clockwork. Tony never showed any indication that he knew they were there. The specialists questioned Pepper and Rhodey several times, and they had to show them old footage of Tony, so they could get an idea of who he was before this, since they weren't getting a response out of the actual genius himself. No one could figure anything out, until FRIDAY finally let them see the tape from Siberia. After that they figured he was suffering from a serious case of PTSD.

It's when after he became responsive, but still wouldn't speak that they figured out that he couldn't.

They let Tony settle back into his life for a couple weeks before Rhodey thought to call Peter Parker. He remembered sitting there, while Tony bragged about this kid he met, for hours. Then he met the kid in Germany and could see why Tony liked the kid so much. He was glad that they decided to recruit the kid, because he was the main reason Tony was doing so well.

\--Three months ago--

Rhodey walked into the lab after Peter's second official lab day and saw Tony staring at the screen in front of him with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Tones? Everything alright?" he asked, coming up to stand by his friend and looking at what was on the screen. It was the feed from Peter's suit. He saw Tony move in his peripheral vision and looked at him. He waited as Tony wrote something down. Tony slid him the notepad before turning his attention back to the feed. Rhodey read the note and smiled.

_The kid was just here. He mastered sign language in a week. For me._

Rhodey laughed out loud. "He really is a genius. I've been working on it for weeks and I still only know my colors." Tony turned to him and smiled, the first genuine one he'd given him in a while.

_Its okay sour-patch, not all of us can be geniuses._ Tony slid the notepad back to him.

He made a joke. Rhodey was speechless for a moment before shaking it off quickly.

"You know what? I didn't come here to be attacked. I went to MIT too you know? The disrespect." He muttered, ruffling Tony's hair. He laughed as the man ducked away and swatted his hand before writing something down once more.

_What can I do for you?_

"Well, I spilled coffee on my brace and now it locks up sometimes. Can you take a look at it?" He watched as Tony sent him an offended look before nodded and ushering him to his worktable.  
Yeah, bringing Peter in was the best idea he ever had.

\--one month ago--

Rhodey pumped his fist in the air as he passed the final quiz. He had been taking sign language classes online for the past couple months so that he would be able to communicate with his friend through more than just notes. He had just passed his last test, and couldn't wait to show Tony his new skills. He rushed to the elevator and down to the lab, but when he got to the doors he paused at the scene playing out in front of him.

Tony had his arms wrapped around Peter and was slowly rocking him back and forth. He seemed to sense Rhodey's presence because he looked up and beckoned for Rhodey to come in quietly. Rhodey approached the pair as slowly as he could, seeing that Peter was sleeping with his hand clutching Tony's shirt.

"He okay?" he signed, looking at the concern covering his friend's face.

"Panic attack. He just fell asleep." Tony signed back carefully as not to jostle the boy in his arms. He watched as Tony turned his attention to the teenager and ran his hand up and down his back, still rocking from side to side.

"What set it off?" Rhodey signed, after waving to get Tony's attention.

"Not sure. He came for lab day and seemed off. When I asked him about it he started hyperventilating." The pain that seemed to always be present in Tony's eyes was nothing compared to the pain in them now, the pain from not being able to help the kid he really cared about.

"Are you okay?" concern growing in his chest. Tony's face turned frustrated for a moment.

"No. I couldn't even comfort him properly because I can't use my damn voice." Tony signed jerkily, an angry tear leaking from his eye. Rhodey froze. This was the first time Tony had ever outright mentioned his lack of speech, and he was frustrated by it. Rhodey never thought about how Tony must feel about this situation. He hurried to comfort the older man.

"Tony. It looks like you did a pretty good job." he signed, gesturing to the slumbering boy. Tony looked at the boy and gave a small shrug.

"I used to better. I just wish..." Tony's signing stopped when Peter started to stir.

"Mr. Stark?" he mumbled, pulling himself out of Tony's grasp. Tony smiled at the boy and cupped his cheek.

"Ok?" he signed with one hand, keeping the other on Peter's face.

"Yeah. Thanks. I'm assuming you're gonna make me talk about it?" Peter asked, making a face.

Rhodey slowly made his way out of the lab, sending Tony a nod on his way out when the engineer shot him a grateful smile, before turning his attention to grilling his intern. He didn't know if Tony being upset about his condition was a good sign or not. He made a note to ask one of the psychologists on call. But one thing he did know for sure, Tony would do anything for that kid, and maybe that could lead to something good. 

\--current day--

  
Rhodey walked into the lab, dreading what was about to go down. He could pretend that nothing is going on, but he knew Tony would find out eventually, and it was probably better coming from a friend.

Tony turned around with a big smile on his face as Rhodey entered the lab, but upon seeing the look Rhodey no doubt had on his face, he let his smile drop.

"I don't like that face, honey-bear. Okay, give it to me straight." Tony signed, rolling his shoulders back, looking like he was steeling himself for something.

"Give it to you straight? Okay. I just had a meeting with the accords council," he stopped as Tony's shoulders stiffened, "do you want me to keep going?" he asked gently.

"They got pardoned didn't they?" Tony signed, his eyes closed.

"Yeah. They are coming back to the compound next week. They want us both there to welcome them." Rhodey said out loud, watching the genius carefully. Tony just let out a resigned sign, reopening his eyes.

"As long as they aren't coming to the tower." he signed next, eyes filled with worry.

"Nope. I refused. They have to stay at the compound on house arrest for the next six months. I can do all the welcoming and stuff, you just have to stand by me and look pretty. You can bring Peter if you want." Rhodey said.

"I'm really good at looking pretty." his friend signed back, with a shaky attempt at a smirk.

"Are you going to be okay? I don't want this to set you back. I can tell them it I'll do it alone." he offered. Tony shook his head.

"If I don't show up, they will just come looking. Better this way. I'll bring Peter. I'll be okay, and if I change my mind I'll let you know." Tony signed. Rhodey searched his friends eyes for any sign of panic or fear, all he found was steely determination.

"Okay. But the second you feel like you can't handle it, you leave. We can come up with a secret signal and everything. Peter'll love it." Rhodey joked. Tony let out a small laugh.

"Deal. Speaking of the spider, he will be here any minute so shoo. We have science to do." Tony signed, physically pushing him out of the workshop.

"Okay, okay. Have fun." Rhodey said, making sure to send a text to Peter about the situation. If anyone could distract Tony from the inevitable shit show, it would be him.

\--a couple weeks later--

Rhodey was standing on the landing pad at the compound, Tony and Peter standing behind him, watching as the Rogue's quinjet landed. He turned around one last time to check on Tony.

"Speak now or forever hold your piece." He signed with a smirk. Tony rolled his eyes beneath his rose-colored sunglasses, he was dressed to the nines as usual. Peter laughed next to him, dressed in his signature science pun T-shirt, looking out of place next Tony. 

"I'm good. For now." Tony signed, then his eyes drifted back to the quinjet and he jerked his head, "something wicked this way comes." Peter laughed at that, before quickly sobering up as the group of outlaws approached. Rhodey took a deep breath. 

"Welcome back to the compound." he said coldly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. Tony's POV next. I wanted to give the outsiders perspective before giving Tony's so you could see all sides of it. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He doesn't think Pepper and Rhodey realize that he was completely aware of everything going on around him while he sat in this hospital bed.
> 
> Tony's view of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: self deprecating thoughts, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD
> 
> It's time for Tony's POV!!
> 
> Also just to clear up since this chapter shows Tony's experience with not being able to talk, his condition is psychosomatic which means its caused by underlying mental stress, he isn't consciously choosing not to talk he just can't. 
> 
> I hope you like it, and please read the note at the end!

He doesn't think Pepper and Rhodey realize that he was completely aware of everything going on around him while he sat in this hospital bed. He just couldn't find it in him to care. He heard them talk about him like he wasn't there. He knew he was worrying them, that's probably why he didn't fight them at all on all the tests they wanted to run. He knows he was making their lives harder, and somewhere deep inside guilt was raging, but on the surface he was just numb. He hadn't tried to speak since Rhodey first visited him, but something inside him told him nothing would come out even if he tried. So he stayed silent, not wanting to confirm his fears. 

When he was released from the hospital, the first thing he did was make sure Rhodey could walk again. He didn't want to create, or invent, it all seemed pointless. But this was something that he needed to do. It was his fault Rhodey couldn't walk, so it was his job to fix it. The second he finished, he typed a message to FRIDAY telling her to show Rhodey the braces, and he went to his room.

The next week was a bit of a blur, but he remembers all the different people coming in and out of his room. He knew Pepper sent them. She always had to be in control, and not knowing what was wrong with him was probably upsetting her. Hell, he didn't even know what was wrong with him. He just didn't feel like living, but he didn't want to die. So he just laid there, only getting up when they made him, and not daring to speak. He was afraid to confirm his fears. He didn't think he could talk even if he tried. The very thought of opening his mouth and making a sound made his heart constrict in his chest. So he just didn't. And he thinks that's what worried people the most. 

Finally, a week or two later he was starting to feel like a person again. He needed to stop worrying Pepper and Rhodey. They didn't deserve it. He mastered sign language in a night, and created earpieces for everyone so they would be able to understand him. He still felt that familiar tightness in his chest when he thought about speaking, so he just avoided it at all costs. And if there is anything Tony Stark is good at, it's avoiding things. He heard the specialists tell Pepper what they thought was wrong with him, and it made sense. So far the only people he felt comfortable communicating with, in his new way, was Pepper and Rhodey. Anyone else made him panic. 

He spent many nights researching what was wrong with him to see if he could fix it. He needed to fix it. It was ironic that his brain was coping with his recent betrayal by hiding within itself to avoid getting hurt again. He had always been good at that, and now it had become psychologically ingrained in his brain. He knew it would take a while to heal, he was far from okay, he still had more bad days than good days. But, if he couldn't fix it, he had to at least try and be better for them. So the only focus on his mind was to not be a burden on his very few remaining friends so he didn't chase them away as well. 

When Peter Parker started coming over for weekly lab days, he felt something in him click into place. He still couldn't talk, but he felt like it was a step in some kind of direction, hopefully a good one. The kid had learned sign language for him, and always seemed to know how to cheer him up. He never made Tony feel like a roadblock because of his silence, he just talked enough for the both of them, and when Tony did have something to say, he gave him his undivided attention. His mood always improved when the kid came around.

The first night Peter stayed over for the weekend, of course had to turn into one of Tony's bad days. He woke up to a sympathetic Pepper who offered to distract the kid until he was ready. He laid in bed staring into space, trying his hardest to shake off the fog clouding his brain, at least enough so he could see Peter before he went home. After what felt like hours, he was able to sit up, his mind felt a little clearer.

"Can you send Peter in FRI?" he signed to the camera in the corner of the room. Moments later the teenager walked cautiously into the room.

"Hey, Mr. Stark." he signed, not using his voice like he normally did. Tony's insides uncoiled a little at the kid's thoughtfulness. He patted the space next to him, and watched as Peter clumsily climbed next to him. He asked the kid to just talk to him and he leaned back letting Peter's voice wash over him as he regaled the tales of May in the kitchen. The longer Peter talked, the more Tony's mind cleared, and his anxiety uncoiled.

Peter then somehow managed to talk him into going to Queens with him in disguise, and he ended up having the most fun he'd had in ages.

The next week brought more frustrations when Peter had a panic attack during lab day. He tried his best to comfort the kid in any way he could, but it took longer than usual, because he was stupid and couldn't talk. Even with Rhodey's reassurances, he still felt like he had failed Peter in some way. After grilling Peter about his panic attack, he quietly went back to work, his brain on overdrive. How could he be there for Peter when his brain didn't even work correctly? It had never taken that long to calm Peter down before since the thing that seemed to calm him down best was his mentor's voice. But Tony was messed up, and he ruined everything, like always.

He was still seething about his PTSD when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Peter giving him a heartbroken smile, sadness etched in his features. He watched the kid for a minute before Peter started to sign, slowly as if to make sure Tony would understand.

"You know I still love you even if you can't talk right?" Tony sucked in a breath, the words feeling as though they had just punched him in the gut. He dropped his head into his hands so he didn't have to see the kid's sad look anymore. He was lying, everyone wanted him to get better. Why couldn't he just get better? Angry tears started to leak out of his eyes, and he felt skinny arms wrap around his figure.

"I'm telling the truth you know? I know you care about me, no matter if you can say it or not. Your actions speak louder than words anyway. Now stop thinking people would like you better of you could talk and let's take a break." Peter said out loud, since Tony's face was still buried in his hands. Tony took a couple deep breaths, letting the words sink in, before giving Peter a small nod. He let the kid drag him to the couch, stating that it was time for a Star Wars marathon and pizza. Tony smiled at the kid sitting next to him. Maybe if a kid this great didn't think he was just a broken, useless old man, then maybe he would be okay.

When Rhodey told him he needed to be there when the Rogue Avengers made their return, he thought he would be more panicked. Yeah, the thought of seeing Steve Rogers again, after what he did, made him want to throw up and curl in a ball for days, but what's new. All he had to do was stand there and play the roll of the narcissistic billionaire they all thought he was. He didn't even need to say anything, and Peter and Rhodey would be there the whole time. Those two, along with Pepper had been his rocks through all of this, showing him they were okay with how he was. And if he had them in his corner at the end of the day, who cares what the other Avengers threw his way.

He schooled his face into a bored expression and subconsciously edged in front of Peter, as he watched the group that used to be his family walk closer.

"Welcome back to the compound." Rhodey said, his voice cold with a hint of warning. Tony had to fight to keep his face blank as Rogers extended his hand for a handshake that Rhodey promptly ignored.

"Rhodes. Tony. Who's the kid?" Rogers asked, looking to Tony for answers, causing him to shift more in front of Peter.

"None of your business, Rogers. Now I have been told that you guys have been briefed on the circumstances surrounding your stay here?" Rhodey asked, swiftly bringing the attention away from the genius and his intern. Steve's face flashed with annoyance.

"Yes, we have." he responded, continuing to send looks over to Tony and Peter.

He felt Peter squeeze his arm and he looked over to see Peter signing something to him discretely.

"You okay?" Tony sent him a small wink in reply, causing Peter to stifle a laugh.

"It's good to see you again, Tony." He heard Rogers say, Peter's arm tightening around his. Tony just sent a nod in his general direction.

Rogers eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and annoyance. He looked like he was about to confront Tony, making his heart pick up speed. Peter's senses must have picked up on it because his head snapped to look at Tony, asking the silent question. Tony tapped Peter's back twice and Peter's eyes widened before he turned to Rhodey.

"Colonel Rhodes, it's time for someone to take me back home." Peter said, Rhodey recognized the code phrase they decided on earlier and his attention turned to Tony. Tony met his eyes, blinking twice, their other signal. Rhodey nodded stiffly.

"Okay kid. Tony, take him home." Tony let out the breath he was holding and all but dragged Peter back through the compound, putting as much distance between them and the others as he could.

Once he was sure they were far enough away he stopped to catch his breath. Peter poked him in the side.

"I didn't know you could move that fast old man." he signed with a smirk. The kid wasn't even winded. He shoved the kids shoulder.

"Don't disrespect your elders. Okay, that went well." He signed, turning to head in the direction of his private suite in the compound.

"You lasted a lot longer than I thought you would." Peter said out loud beside him. He glared sideways at the teenager. He continued to glare until they were both seated on the couch in his living room.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. Hey you have that state competition tomorrow huh? You need help with any last minute studying?" Tony signed, watching as the teen's face lit up.

"You remembered? Wow. Yeah that would be great Mr. Stark! You...You're still coming right?" Peter asked shyly. Tony smiled.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world kid." Any anxiety he had felt over the pardoned avengers disappeared when he saw the smile Peter sent him in return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay what did you think of Tony's POV?
> 
> So now that I have established the background and the plot I have a few questions!  
1\. Do you guys like Tony's POV or should I keep doing multiple POVs?  
2\. What kind of situations or story lines would you like to see me explore?  
3\. What character interaction would you like to see more of? Peter and Tony, Peter and Pepper, etc. 
> 
> Thanks for all your feedback, I'm so glad everyone likes it!
> 
> Leave a comment!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A competition and a press conference?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all the feedback on the last chapter!
> 
> I decided I am just going to stick with Tony and Peter's POV and then if I need to I'll switch it, but only if it's necessary to the plot. So maybe like a Rogue Avenger's POV at some point. 
> 
> I hope you like the next chapter!

Peter scanned the crowd trying to find May and Tony. He was sitting on the stage of their state Decathalon competition, sandwiched between MJ and Ned. When he finally caught sight of the pair he had to force himself not to laugh. May was jumping up and down waving at him, while Tony stood next to her in his disguise, silently judging her enthusiasm. Tony then turned to look at Peter and started signing.

"You're aunt is insane. And you better win or we will disown you." Peter rolled his eyes, but didn't respond. He didn't want to draw attention to him or Tony by signing something where everyone could see him. He watched as Tony winked and sent him a thumbs up.

The next thing he knew Midtown was tied with the opposing school, and it had come down to the science and engineering section, and Peter's insides lit up with anxiety. Their win was riding on his knowledge. His eyes found Tony's in the crowd, "You got this kid." he signed. Peter nodded, he could do this. Everything went by in a blur, and suddenly their school was being announced at the State Champions. Everyone in the audience stood up and cheered and Peter was ecstatic. He hugged all of his teammates as they huddled around him in excitement. He looked over at MJ and even she had a smile on her face.

After they took all of their team pictures, he ran down to meet May and Tony. May squeezed him until he couldn't breathe.

"Baby, you did so good!!!!" she squealed, pulling him into another tight hug. When she finally released him, his cheeks bright red with embarrassment, he turned to Tony.

"I'm so proud of you kid. You crushed it!" he signed, pulling him into a side hug.

"Thanks, Mr. Stark that means a lot. You were the one that helped me study." he still couldn't believe his mentor even bothered to show up to support him. It was like a dream come true. Tony ruffled his hair.

"Nah. It was all you, bud." he signed. Peter ducked his head with a smile. He was about to respond when Ned rushed over to him.

"Peter the whole team is going out to celebrate! Come on!" he yelled, pulling at Peter's arm.

"Go ahead, be safe!" May said as Peter got pulled into the crowd by his best friend. Little did he know what was about to blow up the next morning.

He had stayed the night at the tower, since May had to work the night shift, and he hadn't seen Tony since he got back from his team celebration. As soon as he was up, he went to search for his mentor, finding him standing stiffly next to Pepper in the living room, both of them staring at the TV. He looked to see what was going on. The scene playing on the screen was footage of Tony, head down making his way through a sea of reporters as Happy led him to his car.

"Sources confirm that Tony Stark was in fact spotted in public for the first time in months, since before the fight now known as the Civil War between the Avengers, as he was allegedly under hospitalization. He was spotted leaving a venue that was apparently hosting a State high school Academic Decathalon competition. Reasons as to why he was there are unknown, as the billionaire refused to make any statements on the scene. The real question on everyone's mind is why he has been hiding all of this time, and why is he just now showing his face in public? We will let you know as soon as we know more. Back to you John."

"Mute." Pepper said, her voice tight. Peter turned his attention to his mentor, trying to gauge his reaction. He looked pale, his shoulders tight.

"We need to make a statement, come out on top of this before the rumors start piling in. We haven't told them anything since you were in the hospital." Pepper said gently, reaching out to rub Tony's arm. His mentor still hadn't responded. Pepper made eye contact with him over Tony's shoulder and gestured for him to come in. He rushed in front of his mentor.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. You should have never come to my competition." Peter said, guilt filling his stomach. At his statement Tony's eyes snapped up to meet his.

"No, I wanted to be there. Stop blaming yourself. It was bound to happen eventually." He signed, letting out a sigh and turning to Pepper. "What would be the best thing to do?" He could tell Tony was still a little shaken up, but his need to fix things was taking precedence.

"Well, the board already knows everything that is going on, so this isn't for their benefit, just the public's. Your image has taken a hit, people think you have hidden away to avoid responsibility for everything that happened during the Avengers fiasco." Pepper started, her business persona coming out.

"Right. Of course they think that. But stop stalling, tell me what you're thinking." Tony signed next, raising an accusing eye at Pepper, who gave him a guilty smile. Peter looked back and forth between the pair feeling like he missed something.

"We need to hold a press conference." she stated simply. Peter could hear Tony's breath hitch in his throat and his heartbeat pick up speed. He inched a little closer to his mentor, hoping his presence would be calming.

"Pepper. I can't give a press conference. I can't talk. Can't you do it?" Tony asked, Peter took notice of his shaking hands. Pepper seemed to notice too because she took them both into her own.

"I could, if I really needed to. But it...it would be better coming from you. They need to see you, so you can prove you aren't hiding away." Pepper said, giving his hands one last squeeze before releasing them so he could reply.

"How would that even work? What would I tell them?"

"Tell them the truth." Peter spoke up, and watched as both heads snapped towards him. Tony sighed. 

"Kid-"

"No. It's nothing to be ashamed of. They think you are hiding for selfish reasons. Show them that's not true, tell them the truth." He watched as Tony blinked at him a couple times before turning to Pepper, silently asking for her opinion on the situation.

"It might be a good idea to tell them the truth. We could tell them about your condition and that you've stepped away from SI, the Avengers, and all the media to focus on yourself. That would probably get the best response from the public, rather than some half made up lie." Pepper said, smiling apologetically when Tony looked offended that she took Peter's side. Tony's eyes hopped between the two of them as he mulled it over. He seemed to have realized he was fighting a losing battle because after a few moments his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fine. But how is a mute going to give a press conference?" his face was flat with annoyance at being ganged up on.

"We could get you an interpreter, or I could do it. Whichever makes you feel more comfortable. We can even put Peter in the audience." Pepper offered as a consolation. Peter nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah I'll sit in the back and you can look at me the entire time if you want!" he would do anything to help his mentor through this, since no matter what he said, this was kind of his fault. It seemed to have worked because Tony gave him a smile and a nod.

"Alright, Miss Potts. You win. Set it up for this afternoon." Pepper looked alarmed.

"That soon?"

"Yeah. I want to get it over with. Plus I agreed to have the Spider-kid back by dinner." he sent Peter a wink. Peter stifled a laugh and watched as Pepper rolled her eyes and left the room, probably to go set up the conference. Tony tapped him on the head, which he then shoved his mentors hand away in faux annoyance, and his hand rested on his shoulder.

"You ever write a speech?" Tony asked him, one-handed. Peter's eyes widened as Tony let out a laugh and led him to his office.   
\---

Peter had never been in a room with so many flashing lights and people talking in his life. He was glad he was sat behind all the cameras so none of the flashes would overwhelm his senses. Suddenly the room grew silent and he knew it was about to start.

He watched as Tony walked out onto the stage, dressed in his best suit, with blue tinted glasses perched on his nose. He was the picture of confidence. Peter stifled a laugh when he walked up to the podium, tapped the microphone, and then dramatically bowed to the side to let Pepper approach instead. He could see Pepper roll her eyes, and he heard the murmurs of confusion rolling through the crowd.

"Thank you for coming today. Now usually Mr. Stark is up here, but due to circumstances you will find out in just a moment, I will be at the microphone today." Pepper finished and then turned to face Tony, but positioned herself so she was still in front of the microphone. Everyone seemed confused on who to look at, until Mr. Stark obnoxiously blew a noise maker, where he got that Peter didn't know, and everyone's eyes snapped to him. He started to sign and Pepper started to interpret.

"First, I'd like to thank my lovely CEO, Pepper, for interpreting for me. I'm sure you are wondering why she even needs to speak for me and why I'm waving my hands around like a crazy person. It's not to be rude or eccentric, like you are probably thinking. Let's just start from the beginning. A few months ago you all know I was in favor of the Sokovia Accords, but some of the other Avengers were not. That led to a disagreement of frankly dramatic proportions, that you have all dubbed the Civil War. Pretty cool name, I'll give you that," a few laughs escaped the crowd at that, "after that I had another falling out with some teammates, who will remain nameless, that left me severely injured. You all know that, as we released a statement of my hospitalization shortly after that. What we didn't tell you was that due to the severe psychological stress those string of events caused, along with my current underlying mental health issues, I have lost the ability to speak." The room erupted into shouts and questions cutting Pepper off. It took several moments of Tony holding his hands out for them to calm down enough for him to continue.

"All I'll say is that it's a psychosomatic condition, and it's been a very grueling journey up to this point. I have taken a step back from SI and the Avengers so that I can focus on my personal health and hopefully start to heal. I would like to ask that the media grant me and my close friends and family privacy as we all deal with this very personal matter. Thank you. I won't be taking questions." Tony finished, flashing a piece sign as he left the stage.

"Thank you all for coming." Pepper said, before following Tony out. Peter slipped through the crowd before he found Happy, who helped him get to the back room where Tony and Pepper were waiting.

"That went surprisingly well." He heard Pepper say. He reached the room in time to catch Tony's response.

"Surprisingly? Pep, give me some credit, I've done millions of these things." he signed with a smirk. Pepper looked unimpressed.

"And you usually don't stick to the cards. Does 'I am Ironman' ring any bells?" Pepper scoffed. Tony dropped his jaw, and met Peter's eyes as he reached the couple.

"Wow. Okay, I'll give you that." Tony said in defeat, causing Peter to let out a snort. "Let's go somewhere where I'm more appreciated Peter." he rolled his eyes, but followed his mentor anyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it was pretty short, but the next chapter will be out soon!
> 
> Let me know how you liked it!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the press conference

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: mentions self deprecating thoughts, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks
> 
> ALSO: just to clarify, Homecoming didn't happen in this story, I wanted Peter and Tony to get closer and learn from each other without the superhero stuff first. It may happen later but for now it hasn't just FYI. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Tony was sat in his lab, hours after he had dropped Peter off at home. He was currently going through the media responses to his press conference. He was surprised at how many positive replies there were. So many people were just glad he was okay and wished him well.

But then there were the negative reactions. There were so many late night talk show hosts and gossip sights that were spreading negativity. They were all saying pretty much the same thing. That Tony was faking his condition as a way to save his public image with pity, and a way to avoid the backlash from the Accords. Tony knew he shouldn't focus on what people were saying, but he couldn't help it. He wishes they were right, that he was just faking it.

He wanted nothing more to tell Pepper how much he loved her out loud, to tell Rhodey how much he appreciates him, and to tell Peter...well to tell Peter that he couldn't have gotten through these last months without him. He knew he could tell them all of that now, but it would never come across as sincere as he wanted it to. He just wanted to be better...for them.

Then there was worrying about what the recently returned Avengers thought. Did they think he was faking it, or overreacting about what had happened? Did the rest of them even know what happened in Siberia? He wanted to think if they did, they would see why things turned out the way they did. But he knew that was too good to be true. Even if they were supposed to be the closest thing he'd had to family, they still tended to paint him as the villain. So, no doubt they would have all taken Steve's side.

"FRI, has anyone at the compound seen the press conference?" he signed to the camera.

"Yes boss, Colonel Rhodes did and wanted me to tell you that he's proud of you and he's coming over for dinner tomorrow. The others watched it live." Tony smiled at Rhodey's words, but then faltered at the next words.

"Did...did they say anything?" he signed, this was probably a bad idea, but he knew he would never stop thinking about it if he didn't find out.

"Would you like me to pull up the feed of them following the conference, boss?" He took a deep breath and nodded.

The feed of the familiar common room popped up. Natasha and Steve were on the couch, with Sam on the floor in front of them and Clint perched on the back. Wanda and Vision were on the love seat. He thought that was everyone, until Bucky walked in and sat in the arm chair away from the rest of the group. When Tony started signing in the conference he saw Clint's jaw drop, and Nat's eyes narrow. Steve and Sam looked confused. Bucky...Tony couldn't tell what his reaction was, it was a weird mix of concern and disbelief. They're faces barely changed through the rest of the conference.

Once it was over a silence settled over the room. He held his breath, questioning his choice to watch this when Natasha spoke up.

"He seemed fine after the airport. I mean as fine as one could be after what I did. We talked." She turned and narrowed her eyes at Steve, "What happened in Siberia?" Tony's heart picked up speed at the question. Steve was saved from answering however, when Wanda spoke up.

"He's obviously faking it for attention. It's pathetic." she sneered, and Tony's heart dropped. He knew what would come next. They would all agree with her and think the same thing as everyone else. I mean he's just a selfish billionaire, why would he have any real problems? He was so far into his thoughts that he almost missed Clint's response.

"His sign language was flawless. That seems like a lot of work to put into it just for publicity. I mean he even asked for the media to leave him alone, and it's definitely off brand for Stark to shy away from attention." His jaw dropped. Clint was probably the most mad at him after the Raft situation...and he was defending him? Well, kind of defending him, but still. This couldn't be right. He turned his attention back to the screen. He watched as they all processed what Clint said.

"It's just a stunt to help his image. He hasn't been very popular lately." Wanda said back, "Plus Steve told me what happened in Siberia. Tony attacked him and Bucky. Why would that affect him in any way? He's obviously lying." Tony stared in disbelief as a Steve's face paled while the others nodded a little in agreement, but he chose to stay silent. He had told them, but not the whole truth, because why would the guy who always demanded honesty tell the truth?

"I don't know guys...it seemed pretty real to me." Sam spoke up, causing Wanda to roll her eyes. Then suddenly Bucky stood up, Tony momentarily forgetting he was even in the room.

"Just stop. It's his life, and we lost any right to be a part of it when we fought him. Just get over it." he said simply, glaring at Steve before leaving the room. Tony waved the feed away after that, not knowing what to think about what had just transpired. Of all people Clint and Bucky were the ones to come to his defense, even if it was in their own strange way? But then everyone nodded at Wanda's comment..so did they actually believe him? Probably not. And what about Rogers? He didn't even look guilty about his lies to the group or even Tony's condition. He just looked like he was scared of getting caught in his lies. Tony didn't get much further in his thought process due to the shrill ring of a video call echoing through the lab. Peter. His heart raced in his chest, Peter never called for obvious reasons. He answered it quickly. 

"Oh good you answered. I need you to come over right now. May found...May found out about Spider-Man and she's freaking out. Can you come??" he could see the panic in his features and could hear faint sounds of May yelling in the background. He nodded quickly and Peter let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. I'll see you in a bit...May-!" he hung up. Tony's heart continued to pump in his chest as he thought about what to do. He glanced at the Ironman suit before quickly shaking his head, too soon, and rushing to his fastest car. His thoughts ran a mile a minute as he sped to Peter's apartment, probably breaking several laws in the process. What was May going to do? They had become pretty good friends since Peter started his internship, but what was she going to think when she figures out he had been lying to her. Would she make Peter stop being Spider-Man? Would she refuse to let Peter come over anymore?

That thought sent his anxiety sky high. He couldn't handle it if she took Peter away from him, not now. That kid was one of the only reasons he was semi-okay most days. Before he realized it he was standing in front of their apartment door, knocking quickly.

Peter opened the door, looking panicked. His shoulders slumped a little in relief at Tony's presence.

"Be careful. She's angry. I'll interpret." Peter signed silently as he let Tony in. The second he walked through the door May was standing in front of him.

"A SUPER HERO STARK? YOU LET MY KID BE A SUPERHERO??? YOU ENCOURAGED THIS? I trusted you with him, and you've been lying to me. He's been lying to me. What the hell were you thinking?!" May screamed at him. His panic kept slowly rising in his chest, and he knew if he didn't somehow get control of the situation he would have a hardcore panic attack on his hands. Which was the last thing he needed right now. He held out his hands to get her attention. He nodded to Peter and started signing, Peter speaking for him as he did.

"Peter was doing this long before I met him. And he was doing it in sweatpants. I only made him a suit to keep him safe. It has safety features that will alert me immediately if he is ever in trouble. I would never let anything bad happen to him May." May stared at him for a moment her features seeming to get angrier with every word. It wasn't his best argument...but his anxiety was a little too intense for him to think straight.

"It's too late for that Stark. You lied to me. You took my kid to Germany and you put him in danger and lied to me about it. He's not safer because of you. You're just standing to the side while my kid is the one in danger." Every word felt like a punch to the gut. He knew it was true. He knew he was a terrible person for bringing a child into a fight that big. He regretted it everyday. He was letting Peter put himself in harm's way. She was right. He was a terrible person. His panic rose to the point that his hands were shaking too hard for him to say anything in return.

May didn't seem to like his lack of response because she continued. "I don't want you around Peter anymore, he's MY kid. I want you to take your suit and leave him alone. I don't need you corrupting him anymore."

At those words, he stumbled back into the door behind him, his breathing picking up speed. He knew this would happen. She was taking Peter away from him. He knew he deserved it, but he couldn't do this without Peter. He was selfish. He couldn't...he needed...he couldn't breathe. He distantly heard Peter tell May to back away before his legs gave out and he fell to the ground, his back against the door. He lifted his knees up to his chest, choking on his breaths. His lungs screaming for air.

"Mr. Stark you gotta breathe. Come on, follow my breaths, it'll make you feel better I promise." He felt Peter grab his hand and squeeze it, grounding him. He tried his best to focus on the kid's breathing and the pressure on his hand, but his mind just kept telling him he was never going to see Peter again, and at every reminder his breathing picked up.

"Mr. Stark please. Everything is okay. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere okay? I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Please just breathe, you need to breathe. Breathe Tony, come on." Peter's words rushed over him and he latched on to them as best as he could and focused on his breathing. "Yeah, there you go. You are doing so good. I'm still here, keep breathing." After what felt like hours, his breathing had evened out and the trembling in his hands died down. He looked up and met Peter's eyes, the kid was smiling encouragingly at him, but his eyes were filled with concern and sadness. He took a deep breath, it felt good, and took a second to get his bearings.

"Sorry." he signed simply, his hands still to shaky to say anything else. Peter shook his head.

"No need to apologize. It's okay." Tony nodded, to exhausted to fight. He leaned his head back against the door closing his eyes, he could feel the familiar fog start to come over him. Peter seemed to sense it, because he was helping Tony to the couch a few moments later.

"Just rest Mr. Stark. I'll call Pepper." Tony was about to respond when May approached from behind Peter, reminding him of what she had said. He tried to suppress his flinch but Peter noticed and turned to his aunt, "Not now, May." he said in a voice that didn't sound like Peter. It was cold and angry. Tony wanted to scold him about how he was acting but he felt that pull of exhaustion he was too tired to fight and drifted off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment! I always to see ideas of what you would like to see happen next!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for some fluff. 
> 
> Thanks for all the feedback on the story! I'm so glad you guys like it!
> 
> Just a blanket Trigger Warning, this chapter deals with the aftermath of Tony's panic attack, so just putting it there just in case :)

"Peter? Honey is everything okay?" Pepper's voice rang out concerned on the other line. Peter wanted to cry at the sound of her voice, but he tried to hold it together.

"Uh...not really? Um...so May found out about Spider-Man, so I had Mr. Stark come over t-to help me explain everything. I didn't know she'd get so mad and say that, I pro-promise-" his voice choked on a small sob.

"Peter, honey take a deep breath." he did what she said, feeling a little better, "Okay, good job sweetie. Now can you explain to me what happened?" Peter smiled at the motherly tone in her voice and continued, his voice still a little shaky.

"Y-yeah. He tried to explain himself but May got mad and yelled at him. He just kept getting paler and paler and then...she uh she told him she didn't want me seeing him anymore, and he had a panic attack. I-it was bad Pepper." Peter finally got out, tears stinging his eyes. He heard Pepper take a deep breath on the other line.

"It's okay Pete, it's not your fault. Where is he now? Is he okay?"

"He looked exhausted and his eyes were getting that glassy look, so I helped him to the couch and he fell asleep." he hoped he had done the right thing, but the whole thing had been so scary he'd had no idea what to do.

"Good. That's a good sign. I can come over and be there when he wakes up. Is that okay?" Peter nodded, forgetting that Pepper couldn't see him.

"Please, yeah that'd be gr-great."

"Okay, I will be right there Peter, it will all be okay. You did great." Pepper said reassuringly before hanging up. May tried again to talk to him as they waited for Pepper but he just glared in her direction and focused his attention back on the sound of Tony's heartbeat. Eventually she gave up and chose to sit across the room away from the pair. When Peter heard the familiar sound of heels clacking down the hallway he rushed to the door and opened it right as Pepper reached it. She raised her eyebrow and followed him inside. She looked to the couch, nodded, and then pulled Peter into a hug. That's all it took for Peter to lose it, he broke down and started sobbing in her arms.

"Oh, Peter. It's okay honey, you did so good. It's all going to be okay. Shhhh, it's okay." Pepper whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair and held him close. Her voice was so calm and soothing that he was able to pull himself together rather quickly. After a couple minutes, he pulled away and wiped his face on his sleeve.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to freak out o-on you..." he said, his face flushed with embarrassment. Pepper scoffed and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"You are as bad as Tony. No wonder he likes you so much, you have the same guilt complex. I don't blame you for getting upset, I did the same thing when I first saw him have a panic attack, it's scary stuff. But you did really good, and I'm glad you were here with him." Pepper reassured him, then her eyes flicked over to May and she gave her a stiff smile before turning back to Peter and signing something so May wouldn't hear.

"I'm going to go talk to your aunt and explain some things. You stay here with Tony. And no super-hearing." she gave him a stern look at that last part and he nodded meekly. She nodded and then her and May disappeared down the hallway.

Peter felt a little better now that he knew he wasn't the only one who thought that was scary. He took a seat next to Tony's slumbering figure and focused on his heartbeat, so as not to accidentally listen in on Pepper and May. He didn't know what Pepper was going to say, but he hoped it meant he could still be around Tony. He probably needed Tony just as much as Tony needed him, if not more. He was just realizing how Mr. Stark has somehow turned to Tony in his head when the heartbeat in his ears quickened.

He was about to call for Pepper when Tony's eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly, eyes dancing across the room. When they finally landed on Peter, Tony's body relaxed. He let out a deep sigh before his eyes opened again, a slight hint of panic in them.

"Wait, where's May? I shouldn't be here, she doesn't want me here," Tony signed and started trying to get up but ultimately failing.

"You're fine, Tony. Pepper is talking to May in the other room. It's okay." Peter said, signing at the same time. Tony nodded and settled back against the couch. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked at Peter.

"Tony huh? Took you long enough. I like it." Tony signed, and Peter rolled his eyes in response. Before he could say anything back, Pepper was walking into the room. She quickened her steps when she saw Tony awake and sitting up.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked, her voice soft as she knelt in front of him.

"A little foggy, but fine." Tony signed, relaxing as Pepper ran her hand through his hair.

"Okay, let's head home okay?" Pepper said, but Tony's eyes widened in panic and he looked at Peter then back at Pepper, before shaking his head. Pepper seemed to know what was going on because she spoke up quickly, "You'll still see Peter. He's going to stay and talk to his aunt and then Happy will bring him to the tower, he can spend the weekend with us. I already talked to May, she just wants to talk to him first." Peter looked up in surprise and Pepper winked at him. Man, she was good. That seemed to be what Tony needed to hear because he nodded and stood up, signing home, before coming over to where Peter was waiting.

"Thank you, for calming me down. I'll see you in a bit yeah? Don't be too hard on May." he signed waiting for Peter to nod before walking out the door before Pepper. She sent him one last thank you and followed him out. He watched them disappear down the hallway before slowly closing the door behind them. He turned around and saw May sitting on the recently vacated couch, waiting for him with a sad look in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something before Peter interrupted.

"Can...Can I say something first? And then I will take whatever punishment or lecture you want to give me, I just need to talk first." He pleaded, it took a moment but eventually May nodded for him to continue. He took a deep breath, trying to gain the confidence necessary to have this conversation.

"May...I love you, but you crossed a line. I know you didn't mean to but...I told you about Tony's condition and Siberia...**_he_** trusted you with that information. And you still threatened to take yet another part of his family away from him? That would break him May, he can't handle anyone else leaving. He tries to act strong, but...I can see it in his face when he thinks I'm not looking. If you never let him see me again...I don't think he'd get over it." He took another breath, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. He steeled himself for what he was about to say. "You can take away Spider-Man all you want, but don't make me leave Tony. Please. I need him too May, and for some strange reason he needs me too. And if I have to give up Spider-Man for him, I will." After those words, he finally met May's eyes, which were wide with shock and a little bit of guilt. He watched her for a few more minutes before she spoke up.

"I...well first I want to say I'm sorry. I should have never gotten so mad at him, knowing what I know, it was wrong of me. I also shouldn't have said what I said, I didn't know that would happen when I did, but I regretted them almost immediately." she searched Peter's face for a moment. He gave her a shaky nod, accepting her apology. Her eyes filled with unshed tears as she continued. "Peter, you're all I have left. So, when I saw the suit, and I found out he knew, I couldn't even think straight, I lashed out. I thought I was going to lose you too, the only family I have left. But seeing you with Tony, and then Pepper...I realized our family has grown hasn't it?" Peter dropped his mouth in shock at her question.

"Wha-What are you saying?" he asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

"I see how you look at him, Peter. I know you look up to him as a father, even if you haven't realized it for yourself. But I saw your relationship first hand just now, and he cares about you in the same way, I think. And that's okay Peter, it's great. I'm so happy you have more people that care about you the way I do, and who you care about. I mean, you're willing to give up Spider-Man for Tony? That says it all right there. And as much as I wish you would...I won't make you, and I would never take Tony away from you now, not after that. I can't make you chose." she finished, tears falling down her cheeks. Peter stood there, dumbfounded, for several minutes.

Tony...a father...his father? What? But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.

"So...it's okay if I see Tony as a...like that?" Peter asked timidly, still reeling from the direction this conversation had gone. May nodded, smiling proudly at him. "And you're not mad? You're going to let me hang out with Tony AND be Spider-Man?" he asked next, not quite believing it.

"Oh, I'm mad. But mostly about the lying. No Spider-Man for two weeks, give me some time to come to terms with it. And of course you can still hang out with Tony. I mean I agreed to let you stay the weekend right?" Peter launched himself at May and gave her a hug.

"Thank you May. For everything. Really. And I'm sorry for getting mad at you." Peter whispered in her ears. She squeezed him tightly one more time before letting him go and wiping the tears from both of their faces.

"Alright. Happy is waiting for you. And...tell Tony, when he's ready, and ONLY when he's ready, I would like to have lunch to talk about the Spider-Man stuff. But tell him to take his time, make sure he's okay first, I did cross a line." Peter nodded, smiling gratefully at May. She handed him a packed bag and walked him out to the waiting car. "Have fun baby. I love you." She said, kissing him on the forehead.

"Love you May!" he replied, climbing into the car, waving to May one last time as Happy grumbled about having to wait so long.   
\---  
When Peter reached the tower he hurried to the elevator. He had received a text on the way over from Pepper, telling him Tony went straight to his workshop. Peter was a little nervous about how Tony was dealing with the aftermath of the panic attack.

When he reached the doors, he saw Tony sitting alone at one of the work tables. He was staring at a hologram in front of him, not moving. Peter walked in, making sure to make noise so as not to scare the billionaire. At the sound of the door opening, Tony turned around in his chair. He looked shocked, like he couldn't believe Peter was there.

"You're here." he signed. Peter smiled, signing back quickly.

"Well of course. Did you think I wouldn't?" Tony looked down at his hands, and Peter realized that he probably did think Peter wouldn't come back, his heart clenched in his chest at the thought. "I wouldn't let May keep me from coming you know? I told her she could take Spider-Man away but not you." he decided at that moment that the truth would be the best course of action here, the whole truth. He had to make sure Tony never doubted how Peter felt about him, with no room for insecurity. He watched as Tony's head snapped up in a mix of shock and anger.

"Peter. You shouldn't have said that. I'm not worth that. You love Spider-Man...I'll be...I can't let you do that." Peter watched, his heart continuing to clench at what Tony was signing. But he let him get it out, before setting him straight.

"I think you are worth it. To me, you are. I would give up Spider-Man a million times, if I could still be in your life. And that was my choice to make. But you wanna know what May said?" Tony's eyes hardened with guilt, but he nodded shakily. "She said she would never make me choose between Spider-Man and my dad." Peter was surprised how easily that came out, and he watched Tony's reaction in amusement. Tony's eyes widened in disbelief, before filling with tears, one leaking out. He shook his head a few times, before looking at Peter with a look that Peter could only identify as pure love.

"Your...your dad? Me?" he signed, hands shaking. He blinked a couple times, tears leaking out. Peter smiled, love etched in his features.

"Yeah. You." Peter said, with a confidence he was sure he's never felt before. Tony stared at him for what felt like forever before pulling him into a hug. They sat there, Tony squeezing him as tight as he possibly could, for a long time. Both of them basking in the serenity of what had just transpired.

Eventually Tony pulled away from Peter, and sent him the biggest, most genuine smile Peter had seen on him...well ever.

"I love you Pete. More than you'll ever know." Tony signed, and Peter sent him a bright smile back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like it? I really liked making this chapter so please let me know if you liked it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little long, I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Trigger Warning, pretty much the same as previous chapters. 
> 
> I love all the feedback, so please keep leaving comments!

The next couple weeks were some of the best of Tony's life. Peter had been coming over every Wednesday as well as his normal Fridays which usually turned into staying the weekend. Not only that, but he had been calling Tony 'Dad', ever since the identity reveal turned sour. And Tony would be lying if he said his heart didn't melt a little every time.

But since everything was going so well, naturally, something had to go wrong. And it came in the form of Peter getting stabbed on patrol. He had shown up to the tower, covered in blood on the verge of passing out, scaring the shit out of Tony and Pepper who were watching a movie. Tony made sure to get Cho there immediately, and only after he knew Peter would be okay, did he have a panic attack. He and Peter spent the rest of the kid's bed rest watching Star Wars, both needing the comfort and familiarity.

Then when May found out, she and Tony decided it was time for Peter to get some proper training. The only problem was that, the kind of training Peter needed, could only be found at the compound. Hence Tony's current dilemma. He was still thinking in circles when the lab doors opened.

"Hey Tones, FRI said you had an urgent matter to discuss? Is everything okay? Is Peter?" Rhodey asked as he came in. Tony turned around to look at his best friend.

"Yeah. Everyone is fine..well they are now. Pete got stabbed last week, and May and I agreed that he needed training." Tony signed, watching as Rhodey's face turned from confusion to understanding.

"And the only place for that to happen is at the compound. Shit. Okay, what do you want me to do?" Rhodey asked. And this was the reason Tony was so grateful that he met Rhodey all those years ago.

"Well he needs close combat training, and he needs to learn to control his strength. He has a break coming up, he can do it then." Tony signed, dread filling his stomach at what he knew was coming next.

"Well Romanoff is the best at close combat...and for the strength it would be R-" Rhodey started before Tony interrupted.

"No. No, anyone but Rogers." Tony signed, panic trying to crawl it's way to the surface. He pushed it down and took a deep breath.  
"Barnes. They fixed his triggers. Can we have him do it?" Rhodey looked at him, both worry and suspicion in his eyes before nodding slowly.

"I'll ask the both of them when I get there later today." Rhodey said. Tony smiled gratefully and nodded a goodbye as Rhodey made his exit. Tony didn't like the idea at all, he would rather keep Peter away from _all_ those people. Away, where he could keep him safe. But letting him train, would make him safer everywhere else. So, he had to push aside his personal feelings, and make sure he did what was best for his kid.

And, as though that very thought summoned him, he heard the kid stumble through the doors moments later.

"Hey Dad, is it okay if I work on my web formula for a while?" Peter asked rushing to the table Tony was sitting at. Tony must have still had a sour look on his face because Peter's eyebrows crinkled in concern. "Wait...what's wrong?" Tony motioned for him to sit down and Peter watched him warily as he did so.

"So, me and May agreed that you needed more training before you continue patrolling..." he trailed off as Peter gave him an annoyed look before nodding. "So Rhodey is going to see if Romanoff and Barnes can train you when you're on summer break in a couple days. We can go stay there for a couple weeks." Tony signed. He was watching the kid closely for any indication of what he might be feeling. But Peter's face remained blank, eyes focused on Tony's hands. He was about to say something else when Peter finally looked at him, anger in his eyes.

"You want me to be trained by those people?! Are you crazy? And you want to come? They...Dad, you can't be serious. They...they _hurt_ you." Peter said, his anger quickly turning to sadness. Tony's heart dropped to his stomach. He wasn't expecting this reaction at all, he was expecting excitement, maybe annoyance, anything but this. He didn't like seeing Peter so distraught.

"Hey. Look at me." he signed and Peter looked up from his hands, meeting Tony's eyes. "I know what they did. And I don't love the idea, but I love you. And I need **_you_** safe out there, and this is the only way to accomplish that." he signed, hoping Peter would understand. Peter's face softened at his words, and he stood up to pace the floor a couple times. Tony watched in silence as several different emotions played out on his kid's face. After several more minutes of this, the teenager finally stopped pacing and faced him again.

"I know you are doing this for me. And I get it. But we don't have to do it this way. I'll go alone, you stay here, away from them." Peter signed, not speaking. Tony had a weird feeling the kid would burst into tears if he tried. Tony shook his head.

"No can do. It will be worse for me to sit here and worry about you being around them. At least there I can make sure you stay safe." Tony signed back. Peter gave him a pained look, tears fighting to leave his eyes. He shook his head a couple times before replying.

"I just can't handle you sometimes. Fine. But there will be stipulations." Peter signed back, a stern look magically replacing the heartbreaking one in seconds. Tony let out a huff of air, surprised at the words, but glad the sadness was gone.

"And what would those be? Aren't I the Dad in this relationship? What is happening?" Tony signed, earning a laugh from Peter.

"You have to agree to stay in your section of the compound. No one is allowed in there _at all_. And no one is allowed in your lab unless I'm in there with you. Okay?" Peter said in a pleading voice. Tony's heart flipped at how much Peter seemed to care about his well-being, and the lengths he would go to protect Tony.

"Square deal." Tony agreed. Peter let out a relieved sigh.

"Geez, you really like to make things dramatic. Can we go eat pizza and watch movies?" Peter asked next, already leading Tony out of the lab. Tony nodded, amused at the kid's antics. His kid.  
\---

A week later Tony found himself in the back of the car, as Happy drove them to Peter's apartment. They were picking up Peter for their two week stay at the compound. Rhodey called him a couple days ago saying that Romanoff and Barnes agreed to train Spider-Man. Tony was surprised that they didn't ask any questions, unless they did and Rhodey just didn't tell him. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and his gangly teenager jumped in.

"Hey Dad." He said as he closed the door behind him. "Okay. Last chance to change your mind and stay here." he said next. Tony rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sending you to the sharks alone kid. I'll follow you're rules, and you follow mine. No taking off the mask around them. And if they see you without it, you're my intern/interpreter." Peter gave him an annoyed glare before nodding his agreement.

"Fine. But if they so much as look at you the wrong way. We're out. Uncle Rhodey can train me at the tower." Peter said next. Tony chose to ignore the first part in favor of the second.

"Uncle Rhodey? When did that happen?" he asked, Peter laughed.

"Last week. He told me that if you're my dad then he's my uncle and he demanded I call him by his proper title. He's weird." Peter said making a face. That made Tony laugh. They spent the rest of the drive talking about Peter's finals and his plans for the rest of the summer. And sooner than Tony would like, they arrived.

"Alright Boss, the elevator should take you right to your wing, and FRIDAY agreed to make sure you weren't intercepted." Happy told them as he opened their door and headed to the back for their stuff.

"Thanks Happy!" Peter said for the both of them. He heard Happy grumble about Peter being too peppy for this early in the morning and he rolled his eyes.

"Thanks Hap. Watch out for Pepper for me." Tony signed, Happy nodded before getting back in the car and leaving. He led them to the elevator, and true to her word, FRIDAY made sure they made it to their wing without running into anyone.

After they settled in, Tony waited on the couch for Peter to finish getting his suit on. His first training session was coming up and he was a ball of nerves, worried about Peter and his safety.

"Okay, are you sure you are going to be okay by yourself?" Peter asked, coming back into the room in his suit, his mask clutched in both his hands. Tony took a deep breath and tried to give the kid a confident smile. He must have failed because Peter came over to sit next to him, hands already signing comforting words. "I won't be gone for that long. Just watch a movie and don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"It's not you I don't trust kid." Tony signed, with a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, trying to breathe through the panic trying to make it's way to the surface.

"I know. Nothing is going to happen, Rhodey will be there supervising and I'm sure the second I leave you'll bring up FRIDAY's cameras." Tony sent him a guilty smile, because that was exactly what he planned on doing. Peter rolled his eyes, amused. "See? With you two overprotective mother hens, nothing will happen. And if they get out of line, don't forget I can stop a bus with my bare hands." his kid gave him an exaggerated wink.

"Don't joke kid. They step out of line they will have War Machine AND Ironman to deal with." Tony signed. Peter's eyes widened a little bit, confusing Tony.

"Don't get back in the suit for me. I know you're not ready. Just let Rhodey handle it, IF something even happens." Tony watched him sign the words, shocked. He didn't know that anyone noticed he'd been avoiding the suit like the plague. But he underestimated Peter, forgetting how observant the teen actually was. But, what he felt didn't matter, he'd do anything for his kid.

"Hey, if it means protecting you, I'd do it." Tony signed exactly that. Peter sent him a small smile.

"I know. But you don't have to. Okay I got to go. I'd tell you to relax but I know you. So at least eat a sandwich or something." Peter said, giving Tony a mock salute as he made his way to the elevator. Tony rolled his eyes, waiting a few minutes before pulling up the feed for the training room. Rhodey was in there talking in what Tony liked to call his Colonel Take No Shit voice.

"His identity is a secret, so there will be no attempts to unmask him or try to trick him into slipping up." Rhodey had been saying, the last part directed at Natasha with a glare. She held her hands up in surrender.

"Deal. Will Tony be accompanying him?" Natasha asked next, and Rhodey's face hardened even more.

"No." was all he said before the spider in question stumbled through the door. He walked up beside Rhodey, not saying anything, but the eyes on his mask were narrowed.

"Spider-Man, this is Agent Romanoff and Sergeant Barnes. They will be training you." Rhodey said, voice still holding that warning tone. Peter didn't acknowledge the duo with anything but a vague nod in their direction. The training soon started, Rhodey watching in the corner next to his War Machine armor, just in case. Tony tried to suppress his flinch every time Natasha or Barnes would get a hit in, but Peter seemed to be holding his own.

Romanoff tried to get him to talk a couple times, but Peter ignored her, whether out of focus or anger, Tony couldn't tell. Soon enough though the training was over and Rhodey was making his way to Peter's side again.

"Alright. That's it for today. We will do this same time same place for the next two weeks." Rhodey said, looking at each of them as they nodded in agreement. Peter was about to leave when Natasha spoke up.

"Tell Tony that you need a little work but you did good." Peter nodded before looking at Barnes. Barnes seemed to sense Peter's unasked question and spoke, his voice quiet.

"You're strong." was all he said. Peter nodded his head, before turning back to the pair.

"I'd tell him, but I'm pretty sure he's watching right now." Peter left the room as Natasha's eyes flew to the camera in the corner. Barnes didn't seem phased, like he already knew Tony would be watching. Rhodey rolled his eyes at Peter's antics before following the teen.

Tony waved away the hologram, and waited for the elevator noise, indicating Peter's arrival. What he didn't expect was Rhodey following close after, talking to Peter.

"Kid, you're insane! Just imagine how good you'll be when you're properly trained. How did you know that one punch was coming?" Rhodey was asking as they both entered the living room and sitting near Tony.

"Oh, when I was facing Natasha and Barnes came from behind? I don't know. I have this sense that like warns me of danger before it happens, so I could just feel it?" Peter explained, finally taking off his mask. Rhodey stared at the kid in awe before turning to Tony.

"You hear this kid? Tones why didn't you tell me he was so good? I mean yeah he needs this training, but with it he's going to be unstoppable." Rhodey said, Peter blushing at the compliment.

"Now now, don't say that you'll just give him ideas." Tony signed, making Peter shout in protest. Rhodey laughed. "Okay, Pete needs food. I was thinking pizza, you wanna stay _Uncle _Rhodey?" Tony signed next, Rhodey shooting him an annoyed glare at the teasing.

"Hey if you get to be Dad, I want my proper title too. But yes, pizza sounds great." Rhodey said, sending both of them a smile.

Maybe this stay wouldn't be so bad.  
\---

And of course Tony had to go and jinx it. Peter's training had been going so well that he earned himself a break after the first week. He had decided that his break would consist of a Star Wars movie marathon after they updated his suit in the lab. Tony, having missed Peter's company all week, was quick to agree. They were just finishing up the last touches on Peter's suit when FRIDAY broke the news that would throw a wrench in the serenity that had been this week.

"Boss, it seems that Thor, Loki, and Dr. Banner have just appeared in the courtyard." Tony dropped the screwdriver he'd been tapping on the table in alarm. He looked up and met Peter's curious eyes.

"I thought Thor was back in Asgard...and didn't Dr. Banner disappear a couple years ago?" Peter asked him. Tony nodded, unable to get his hands to cooperate to say anything else. Peter's brows furrowed in concern.

"You okay?" he asked. Tony shook his head. "We don't have to go see them, we can just stay here." Tony knew Peter was trying to give him an out, a way to continue to avoid seeing anyone while they were here. But hearing Bruce's name, he wanted to go see the scientist, he had missed him more than he had realized. "Dad?" Tony shook himself out of his thoughts.

"We should...I want to see Bruce." Tony signed, Peter sent him an unsure look. "I want to make sure he's okay, I'll be fine."

Peter searched his face for a moment, he must of found whatever he was looking for because he finally nodded. "Okay, but I'm going to stay with you the entire time. You'll need someone to interpret, we can stick to the intern story." Tony nodded. "Okay, FRI where are they?"

"Dr. Banner and his guests have gathered in the common room, along with the Rouges and Colonel Rhodes." Peter's eyes snapped over to Tony's. He didn't think about the others possibly being there. But his curiosity won over his panic, because he was shaking off Peter's concern and leading him to the elevator.

When they arrived, Peter stayed close by his side as they approached the common room. Tony hesitated a moment before a voice traveled into the hallway.

"Where's Tony? Shouldn't he be here?" His breath caught in his throat at the sound of his friends voice. He chose that moment to walk into the room, Peter right behind him. Everyone's eyes snapped to him in shock, Rhodey's eyes just held concern.

"Tony!" Bruce said happily, rushing over gathering Tony in a hug. Tony wished more than anything that he could have responded but he just signed something for Peter to say for him.

"He says, it's been too long Brucie Bear." Peter said, sending him an odd look at the nickname. Bruce pulled away in confusion, looking between Tony and Peter.

"What? Tony?" he finally asked, eyes settling on Tony. He signed something again, watching as Bruce's face just got more confused.

"He said you guys have a lot to catch up on. But for now he wanted me to explain it." Peter said, Bruce looked at him warily but nodded for him to continue. "After some stuff happened between the Avengers a while ago, Tony lost his ability to speak. It's psychological." Peter finished lamely, looking to Tony for approval. Tony nodded and sent him a wink before turning his attention back to Bruce.

Bruce, bless his soul, still looked like he had questions, but he seemed to understand that now wasn't the time so he changed the subject. "Okay. Cool. I have some stories too, but first who's this?" he asked, gesturing to Peter. Tony looked at Peter, gesturing for him to introduce himself.

"I'm Peter. I'm Mr. Stark's intern/interpreter, I guess. It's an honor to meet you Dr. Banner. I've read some of your papers, they are fascinating." Peter said, surprisingly confident. Tony was sure the only reason for that was that his focus was still on protecting Tony. Bruce looked surprised at Peter's words and send Tony an amused look.

"Well if you are smart enough to understand my gibberish, no wonder Tony chose you as an intern." Peter looked down with a blush, and Tony slung an arm over his shoulder. He gestured to the rest of the room, Bruce seeming to understand as he lead them to join the others. Tony avoided eye contact with the others as he walked over to join Rhodey on the far end of the room, Peter sitting close beside him.

"Well, fill us in on what we missed. Should we be concerned about Severus Snape over here?" Tony signed, as Peter interpreted. Bruce let out a laugh at Tony's question, but stopped when he realized that none of the others were laughing, but were still staring at Tony with looks of disbelief.

"Well, no. Loki's fine. But, it seems that I missed something a lot bigger. What is up with you guys?" Bruce asked. "Why are you looking at Tony like that?" Steve looked like he was about to speak up when Rhodey cut him off.

"Well, you missed a lot Banner. Basically the Avengers had a falling out over some legal issues. It ended in a fight, leaving Rogers, Wilson, Barnes, Maximoff, and Romanoff as fugitives from the law; and leaving me and Tony here injured to pick up the pieces. Tony lost his voice, and I lost the use of my legs. But, the people decided that bringing the Avengers back was important, so they just got pardoned a couple weeks ago. They haven't seen Tony in person until now." Rhodey said, his voice strained while explaining what happened. Tony squeezed his shoulder in comfort. Bruce looked shocked, so did Thor, Loki just looked unimpressed. Bruce sent a questioning look to Natasha, who nodded.

"I mean it was slightly more complicated, but that's pretty much the gist of it." Bruce and Thor looked around at the group, as if sensing the tension for the first time. They both looked like they were going to ask more questions, when to Tony's surprise Peter spoke up, voice hard.

"Dr. Banner why don't you tell us where you've been, and how you met up with Thor and Loki." Peter's voice left no room for argument. Bruce took the hint and launched into his tale of space battles. Tony squeezed Peter's knee in thanks, Peter leaning more into Tony's side, his way of telling Tony he was there for him. For the next hour Thor and Bruce took turns telling their story, Loki pitching in snide remarks every couple of minutes.

The panic that had been masked by his desire to see Bruce, was starting to make it's reappearance. It kept climbing steadily as the hour went on, being surrounded by all the people that abandoned him. It didn't help that Steve kept sending him an unreadable look every now and then. As Bruce and Thor were nearing the end of their story, he turned to Peter.

"I need to go." he signed, Peter, knowing what needed to be done, took action. He stood up and turned to the group.

"This was fun. It was an honor to meet you Dr. Banner, Mr. Thor, Mr. Loki. But Mr. Stark and I have some SI stuff to get done before tomorrow." Tony smiled internally at Peter's cover, grateful the kid could think on his feet. Tony nodded, sending a wave to the newly returned trio, before starting to follow Peter out of the room. He felt Peter stiffen next to him before the kid turned around.

"Step away, Captain." Peter's voice came out in a snarl. Tony whirled around in panic, seeing Peter staring at Steve, with a look of absolute hatred. Tony's heart sped up in his chest, he couldn't let Steve hurt Peter like he hurt him. He wouldn't let it happen. Before he could think of what to do, Steve was talking.

"That's no way to speak to those older than you, son. I just want to talk to Tony." Peter scoffed.

"Don't call me son. And I think I can talk to you however I want considering what you did to Mr. Stark."

"Look, you don't understand-" Steve tried to reason, but that seemed to set Peter off.

"No I understand everything perfectly Captain. You hurt Tony, attacked him and left him for dead in Siberia. So I think I am entitled when I say this. Back. Away." Tony heard distant gasps from the common room, but his heart was thundering in his ears. He reached out and squeezed Peter's arm, probably a little to hard. Peter sent one last glare at Steve before hurrying them into the elevator.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned that. I- Are you okay?" Peter asked frantically after the doors closed. Tony leaned against the wall of the elevator, focused on getting his breathing under control. He somehow was able to do it by the time the doors opened to their quarters. He walked out and collapsed on the couch. Peter hovered worriedly over him.

"I'm good, kid. Thanks for keeping him away, that would have ended a lot worse if you didn't." Tony signed, and Peter fell onto the couch next to him in relief.

"Star Wars?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"Star Wars." Tony signed back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note: any science or anything that I mention, I am NOT an expert, so I am making it up. Just ignore my ignorance. Thanks :)
> 
> Also another note, in case you guys were wondering why Peter, Rhodey and Pepper sometimes sign to Tony, even though he can hear; I think of it as a way for them to comfort Tony. Like he's not the only one who needs to speak like that, so he feels like less of a burden, if that makes sense. 
> 
> Thank you for all the positive feedback! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Peter was sitting alone in the lab, Tony had gone to bed hours ago, but Peter couldn't sleep after what had happened.

"Hey FRIDAY? What happened after me and Tony left?" Peter asked, breaking the silence in the lab.

"Do you want me to show you?" Peter hesitated for a minute before nodding. He wanted to gauge what everyone thought before Tony woke up. It might be better if Peter were to tell him what happened. Tony tended to read too much into things sometimes. FRIDAY pulled the feed up and it started to play.

Steve was still standing in the hallway where Peter and Tony had left him, until Bucky came and forced him back into the common room.

"You owe them the truth Steve." Peter could barely make out the soldier's voice through the speakers. Steve looked terrified. Natasha spoke up next.

"Steve, what did Peter mean you left Tony for dead? You told us _Tony_ attacked _you_." her face remained blank, probably due to years of training, but her eyes held a hint of anger in them. Steve fidgeted for a moment before Bucky fixed him with a glare, and he started talking.

"Tony showed up to the bunker, ready to help us against the super soldiers. But when we got there, they were already dead. Zemo had killed them all, his goal was something else. He wanted to tear the Avengers apart from the inside. So he showed us a video. The one of Bucky killing Tony's parents. Tony found out I knew about it and I didn't tell him. He attacked Bucky, so I fought back. He blew of Bucky's arm, so I disabled his suit, and...we escaped." Steve finished the story. Peter thought it didn't reflect everything that happened, but at least it was the truth.

Peter looked at the others, trying to gauge their reactions. Natasha's face remained scarily stoic, Clint looked disgusted but also kept glancing at Natasha. Wanda seemed unaffected, Bucky also, but Peter just assumed it was because he'd already known the truth. Dr. Banner was turning green, and had to make a quick exit, probably to the Hulk room. Thor looked sad, and Loki, surprisingly, looked concerned.

"You said you would tell him." Natasha said, her voice so cold and detached that even Peter wanted to flinch like Steve did. She then left the room, and that must have worried Clint because he sent Steve a disgusted look before following her out.

"It is most dishonorable to leave a teammate behind on the battlefield. You should be ashamed, Captain." Thor bellowed, "Come Loki, I can't be trusted to control my anger if I stay here." Thor got up leaving the room, Loki surprisingly following after him. Sam then stood up from the corner, Peter not even noticing him at first, and just shook his head and followed the others out. Peter had decided he had seen enough when he heard a noise coming from behind him. He whipped around to see Tony standing behind him, eyes fixed on the hologram. Peter swiped it away, causing Tony to look up at him instead. His face unreadable.

"What are you doing up?" Peter asked him softly, choosing not to talk about the video just yet. Tony looked at him for a moment, his eyes seeming to stare right through Peter. He grabbed his dad's hand, waiting patiently for him to get out of his own head. Finally Tony pulled his hand away, using them to sign something.

"Had a nightmare. Came to see you. FRI said you were down here." Peter's heart dropped at Tony's choppy signing, which was usually a sign of a bad day. He hadn't had one in such a long time, and Peter didn't want to be the cause of one.

"I'm here now. What do you need?" Peter asked, hoping he could help somehow. Tony took a while to answer again.

"Sleep. But...not alone." He finally signed, Peter slightly surprised at the admission. He nodded, wrapping his arm around his dad's shoulders, starting to lead him to the door.

"Well, I'm exhausted so I'll come with." Peter said, Tony sending him a grateful smile. When they reached Tony's room, they both settled into bed, Tony's grip around Peter was tight, but he didn't say anything. Peter sat there, listening to his dad's breathing, waiting for it to even out before he would let himself fall asleep. It took a while, but soon Tony fell asleep, and Peter followed soon after.  
\---

Peter was just finishing up his training session with Bucky and Natasha, he had changed it to early in the morning so he could get back and spend the rest of the day with Tony. Hopefully his dad would still be asleep when he got back, that way he wasn't alone. He was about to head back upstairs, when Natasha's voice rang out behind him.

"Peter." she said. He froze. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone, but I'm a spy, it wasn't hard to figure out. The others don't know." Peter turned around slowly, narrowing his eyes, silently asking for her to get to the point. She sighed, seeming to understand his hesitation. "Look, I didn't know Steve hadn't told Tony about his parents. I also didn't know what happened in Siberia. I would have never left if I knew."

"What's your point?" Peter cut her off harshly, not too excited about where this conversation seemed to be headed. Natasha let out a measured breath, as if she was choosing her next words carefully.

"Just, tell Tony that if he's ever ready to see me that I would like to apologize. I don't want to push him though, so if he's never ready I will understand, I won't bother him if he isn't." Peter could have sworn he heard her voice hitch at least once, she seemed sincere, so he nodded in agreement.

"I'll tell him, but I can't promise anything." Natasha nodded, before turning around to clean up her training equipment. He knew the conversation was over, so he headed out, only to be stopped by Bucky in the hallway.

"You're smart. Like Stark." Bucky said, his voice low and quiet. Peter was speechless for a minute. He was about to reply, when he realized Bucky had disappeared before he could. That was strange, but he shook it off, rushing to his quarters with Tony.

When he entered the living room, he didn't see any sign of his dad, so he headed back to his room. When he opened the door, Tony was pacing the floor in front of the bed, clearly in distress. But when he heard Peter enter, he stopped in his ministrations. His entire body seemed to relax at the sight of Peter. He looked Peter up and down, noticing the suit he was still in. Realization filling his features.

"Kid. You can't do that. I woke up and you were gone, and I had no idea where you went. You gotta warn me, bud." Tony signed, and Peter noticed his hands were trembling slightly. Guilt filled his stomach.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to get training over with early, so I could stay with you the rest of the day." Tony's face softened at his words, and he pulled Peter into a tight hug. Peter stayed there, letting Tony decide how long the hug would last, knowing it was bringing him comfort. Finally Tony pulled away and gave him a small smile.

"Okay, well lab time then?" he signed, Peter laughed but nodded. They both headed down to the lab, getting lost in their work for a couple hours. They were interrupted by FRIDAY's voice.

"Dr. Banner is requesting entry to the lab. He seems to have brought lunch." Tony looked toward the door, before raising an eyebrow at Peter, a silent request for what Peter wanted him to do.

"If you're okay with it, I am." Peter said, wanting Tony to make the decision. He seemed to mull it over for a minute, before signing for FRIDAY to let him in. Peter watched as the scientist came in, a plate full of sandwiches and two sodas in his hands.

"Hey Tony. Peter. I made lunch, and FRIDAY said you were in here, so I figured you probably forgot lunch." Tony smiled brightly as Dr. Banner set the plate and sodas down on the table between them. Tony signed thank you and the scientist turned to Peter in confusion.

"He said thank you." Peter said, amused. Dr. Banner nodded, seeming to be unsure what to do now. Tony seemed to decide to put him out of his misery, signing something, then waiting for Peter to interpret.

"He asked if you wanted to stay and see what we're working on." Dr. Banner seemed surprised at the offer and sent Tony a questioning look. Tony smiled at him encouragingly and he seemed to accept that, settling down next to the two of them at the table. Tony motioned for Peter to interpret as he signed, Peter nodded.

"So, right now we are working on a new hero's webs. His name is Spider-Man, and he uses these webs to swing around the city. We are trying to figure out how to make them stronger, but not compromise the elasticity." he said, as Tony signed. Dr. Banner was looking at the holograms in front of him in amazement.

"Well, maybe if you change the order of the chemicals as you mix them, then they would bond with each other differently, which would both change the compound but keep the basic make-up the same."

"Duh! Why didn't we think of that Mr. Stark? That's genius." Peter said, getting started on the different order. Dr. Banner laughed.

"I'm glad I could help."

They worked on Peter's webs for the next couple of hours, Dr. Banner slowly started picking up on some of Tony's mannerisms, learning when he wanted a certain thing, or if he needed someone's attention. Peter noticed how happy Tony was, working with his old friend again. Towards the end of their project he even gave Dr. Banner one of the earpieces so he could understand Tony, without having to use Peter. Peter saw that as a huge step for Tony, him having been hesitant for anyone but those close to him, know about his condition.

They were nearing the end of their project and Peter was running a simulation when he slipped up. "Hey Dad, can you come look at this, it doesn't seem to be working right." Once he realized what he had said, he froze, looking up to see Dr. Banner staring at him in shock. Tony didn't seem to notice the slip-up, being so used to the title, and he just walked over to help. He finally realized Peter was still frozen, and he looked between the two of them. He looked confused.

"What?" he signed.

"Peter called...you're his dad?!" Dr. Banner asked, shock still evident on his face. Tony looked between the two of them some more, before he realized what happened. Peter's eyes were wide with panic, worried Tony would be mad he slipped up. But, his dad just rolled his eyes, and ruffled his hair.

"Not mine biologically, but as good as." He signed, Bruce listened to the translation, understanding filling his features. He nodded, and sent the pair a soft smile, before getting back to work.

Peter turned to Tony and signed silently, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. I know you wanted me to keep my cover, I'm sorry." he was still signing sorry when Tony held up a hand to silence him.

"Kid. Relax. I'm not mad. It was an accident, and I trust Bruce, he'll keep it quiet. Right Brucie?" Tony signed, turning to the scientist. Dr. Banner looked up and smiled.

"Of course, Peter. I won't say a thing. I'm not one for gossip anyway. Your secret is safe with me." Peter felt a flood of relief at his words.

"Thanks, Dr. Banner." he said shyly.

"Call me Bruce." Peter's eyes widened again, but he nodded. Tony tapped him on the shoulder, pointing at the hologram in front of him.

"You typed in the wrong measurement here, fix that and then try again." he signed, effectively ending the conversation. Peter did just that, watching as the simulation became successful. He sent Tony a smile, watching as the older man winked at him before waltzing back to his own work table.  
\---

Several hours later, Peter found himself in the kitchen, watching as Tony was bustled around the kitchen, making him an old family recipe for dinner. Peter was shocked to find out Tony could cook, and hoped it didn't turn out to be a May situation, which would force him to lie about how good the food actually was. But, Tony seemed to know what he was doing. He was enjoying the silence, when he remembered what Natasha told him that morning.

"Hey, Dad?" he asked, hesitantly, unsure how the topic would be taken. Tony turned slightly away from the stove, indicating that he was listening.

"How much of the video did you see last night?" he regretted his words instantly when his dad's shoulders stiffened. He was about to apologize when his dad turned around.

"I caught the end of Steve's story, then saw their reactions." Tony signed, while watching whatever was cooking on the stove, not meeting Peter's eyes.

"Well...did you think they would react that way?" Tony didn't answer for a while, putting food into a baking pan and sliding it into the oven. When he finished that, he turned back to Peter.

"Honestly? No. I thought they would all side with him anyway. I didn't know they would get mad at him." Tony signed, Peter could see the insecurity settled behind his eyes.

"So would...would you ever think about forgiving any of them?" he asked next. Tony regarded him, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What brought this on, bud?" he asked, instead of answering, eyes still narrowed.

"Natasha stopped me after training. She told me to tell you she didn't know that Steve didn't tell you, and she wouldn't have left if she had known what happened...after. She wants to apologize to you, but she said she wouldn't bother you unless you were ready to see her." Peter explained, nervously watching his dad's face. It remained unreadable, while Peter was talking, but then turned thoughtful.

"That was...nice of her. I figured she knew, but I understand why she would want Steve to tell me. I don't think I'm ready to talk to any of them quite yet...but maybe eventually. Steve probably never." Tony signed, his eyes hardening when he mentioned Steve.

"I think that's good. I wouldn't want you around them right now either, but it would be a good thing to talk to them eventually. It will help you finally start to heal from the things they did to you, not that it's that simple, but it's a start." he replied, choosing to avoid the topic of Captain America for the moment. Tony looked at him with a strange smile on his face.

"When did you get so wise Spider-ling?" Peter ducked his head at what he recognized as pride on Tony's face.

"I think it's all the time around Pepper." he joked, sending Tony a smirk. His dad's face turned from pride to offended.

"I resent that. I'm going to keep this delicious meal to myself." he said, mocking hurt. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Rude. Pepper would never starve me." he replied, watching as Tony pulled the finished food from the oven.

"That's extortion. You've been spending too much time with me. Fine. Let's eat."

\---

"Hey baby, are you having fun?" May asked him during one of their check in calls.

"Yeah, everything has chilled out a little bit since last week. Only now Bruce and Thor have been stopping by the lab a lot. Even Loki has come a couple times."

"And how does Tony feel about that? Is he doing okay?" he smiled at his aunt's concern.

"So far yeah. He gets a little anxious when Thor and Loki come, but he didn't really know them that well before everything anyway. But he always kicks them out before it gets too bad, it was a rule I came up with when people started visiting. If I didn't he'd let them stay until it drove him to a panic attack so..."

"Good job, I'm proud of you. But I have something to run by you, to see what you think before I talk to Tony about it." her voice sounded a little nervous.

"Okay...shoot." Peter said hesitantly.

"Well, I just got a call from my boss, and they need me to help fill in at one of his other hospitals in New Jersey, they are short staffed, and I'm the only one trained enough to fill in. They want me there for a few weeks, so I can also train their new hires."

"So...you are going to need to be in New Jersey for a couple weeks? I'm sure I can just stay with Dad at the tower." Peter was unsure what the big deal was.

"I know, but we were texting the other day and he said he wanted to bring you back to the compound sometime after this two weeks was up, to keep up your training. So, I was just thinking you could stay there and keep training, so that when you come back I will feel a lot better about you going on patrol. But, I don't want Tony to stay there any longer than he can handle. So I wanted your thoughts."

Peter paused for a minute, thinking it over. He knew that the compound wasn't Tony's favorite place in the world, but it hasn't been as bad as either of them have thought. And Tony was definitely enjoying having Bruce around.

"Hmm. Let me talk to him, and see what he thinks. If I sense that he doesn't want to at all, I won't make him. But if he's okay with it, I'll let you know."

"Okay. But make sure he knows that his mental health comes before anything else in my eyes. Okay?" Peter was glad that Tony and May had worked out their differences. Now they were closer than ever, always texting about things Peter would do, it was annoying sometimes, but it made him happy at the end of the day. Tony chose that exact moment to knock on his bedroom door. He waved him in.

"Okay, I'll call you later May, love you!"

"Love you too baby." He hung up and turned his attention to the older man, who had made himself at home on Peter's favorite bean bag chair.

"What did Scary Aunt want?" Tony signed, flipping upside down in the bean bag as he looked at Peter.

"You look creepy when you do that. And she was just telling me about something at work." he said, deciding to just rip the band-aid off, though he was nervous.

"Oh? Is everything okay?" his dad asked, flipping back up the right way, his face concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. Her boss asked her to go to his hospital in New Jersey to help out and train some new people, so she has to go there for a few weeks."

"Wow. That's a big deal. I'm assuming I need to house her stinky teenager while she's gone?" Peter let out an offended noise at the question.

"Rude. I came here to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now." he said dramatically, earning a laugh from the other man.

"No seriously, did you tell her you could stay with me?" Tony asked, he seemed curious as to why Peter was trying to stall.

"Yeah, she knows. She just thought it might be better if I stay here...so I can get more training. Give her more peace of mind when I start patrolling or something like that." Peter said quietly, avoiding Tony's gaze. Tony didn't seem to like that because he got up and sat down right next to him, forcing his chin up.

"Is that why you seemed so nervous when I got here?" Peter nodded.

"It's just, I know that if you knew it was going to benefit me, you'd do it regardless. You always worry about me and my safety. But I don't want you to stay here if you don't feel safe, just for me. You've been fine during the day, but you've been getting a lot more nightmares since we've been here. And...well I'm worried about you." Tony turned his head away, staring at the carpet. He worked his jaw a few times, the carpet still the center of his attention. After a couple of minutes he started signing, his eyes still downcast.

"I'm not going to lie to you. Being here has been hard. It's like reliving what life could have been like, if I didn't mess everything up. And it hurts, it does. Being around Rogers, it did bring my nightmares back full force. But, Pete, I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you. You helped me so much these last few months, you helped me get to a place where I could come here and face my demons. If I didn't have you, me being here would have never happened." Peter started to interrupt, but Tony silenced him before he could, finally looking him in the eye.

"Just listen. I mean that as a good thing. I don't know if I will ever get my voice back, but I can hope that one day I will. But if I sit here and ignore all my trauma, and avoid my problems, it will never happen. So if being here is going to bring me one step closer to being able to actually talk to you, I'll stay here as long as you need. And hey, maybe I'll even get the courage to talk to some of the other Avengers." Peter was speechless for a while, he didn't know exactly how to respond to that, he'd never thought of it that way.

"And you're not just saying that right? To make me feel less guilty?" he asked, he hated how childish he sounded. Tony huffed.

"Well, yes but no. I don't want you to feel guilty. But I am telling the truth. We always knew that my healing was going to take time, and that it would be hard. This is just another part of that." Tony reached over and squeezed his arm. "We on the same page now?"

Peter nodded meekly, "I guess so."

"Okay good, tell your aunt we will be staying at the compound for a while longer. I'm going to go see if Pepper will come hang out too." He sent Peter a reassuring smile and a wink, before leaving the room.

Peter sat there for a couple minutes, wrapped in his thoughts. He was worried about Tony for sure. I mean he's surrounded by all the people who hurt him, and he's doing it for Peter. But he did have a point. If he kept avoiding the past, he would never truly heal. Peter just hoped nothing bad happened as a result of their extended stay, he didn't think he could handle the guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter didn't have much going on, but I needed it to set up the rest of what's coming! 
> 
> Please leave a comment! I love seeing your reactions and predictions on what you want to see next! So keep them coming!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: PTSD episode and mentions panic attacks. 
> 
> Also disclaimer: I am not an expert in mental illnesses and anything of the like, so if what I write isn't entirely accurate...I'm sorry
> 
> I hope you like it...I think we are nearing the end. Just a couple more chapters!

"So you want to stay there longer?" Pepper asked him, he video chatted with her right after his conversation with Peter.

"Yeah. May's reason makes sense. It would make me feel better too if he had more training here." Tony signed, watching as his fiance gave him a suspicious look. He knew she wasn't going to react very well to him extending his stay, she hadn't even wanted him to come in the first place.

"Tony, I love you, but cut the shit. Answer me honestly, will it be healthy for you to stay?" Tony knew she was only acting this way because she cared, and because she knew how to ask the tough questions she knew he'd try to avoid. He mulled over the different responses running through his head.

"Honestly Pep...I don't know. But like I told Pete, I'm never going to move past this if I don't face it. Being here is forcing me to face it, and I'm just hoping that even though it's hard, that it will bring me closer to being okay again. I just want to be okay again." He signed. Her face softened at the words. He knew in the past he never wanted to burden people with how he was actually feeling. But ever since this whole thing happened, he realized who actually cared about him. And he realized that they wanted to know how he was feeling, like they actually cared enough to want to know. It took him a while to talk himself out of the thoughts that they were just pretending because he was convenient to have around. He still struggled with it every now and then, but he knew Pepper deserved to know what was really going on with him.

"Okay. Then I think you should stay. But just do me a favor, if you ever feel like it's too much...if the nightmares get worse, or if you have anymore panic attacks, that you'll tell me. I won't make you leave, but I want you to be honest about it okay? I love you and I worry about you, and it makes it worse when I'm not there to see how you are actually doing." his heart warmed at the love and care in her voice. He really loved this woman.

"Well, that brings me to my next idea. I wanted to know if you wanted to come out and stay the rest of the time with us. That way you can keep an eye on me and Peter...and cause I miss you." he flashed her his winning smile, trying to persuade her. It probably wouldn't work, but he had to pull out all the stops. She rolled her eyes.

"Put the media smile away. Luckily my boss is pretty reasonable, seeing as it's me, I think I can still get work done from there. I'll have Happy drive me down tomorrow." Tony lifted his hands up in the air in success. He had hoped she would say yes, because having one more person here that was in his corner, would definitely make things easier, he could use the support.

"I love you." he signed, making her laugh.

"I love you too, even though you're a pain in the ass. I'll see you tomorrow. Now can you please get some sleep? I can see your eye bags all the way from here." He put his hand to his chest in mock outrage.

"Miss Potts, how rude. I'll have you know these eye bags are designer." she flashed him an unimpressed look.

"Go to sleep Tony. Goodnight." she said, hanging up before he could respond. He smiled to himself, he always felt better after talking to Pepper. She never walked on eggshells around him, she just kept up with his snark and dished it right back. It helped keep him sane, giving him a sense of normalcy when everything else seemed to be off kilter.

"Boss, Peter is asking for you. It seems that he can not sleep." FRIDAY's voice rang out in the silence of his lab. He got up and headed back to their side of the compound. He saw Peter sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

"What are you doing up Underoos?" he signed, joining the teen on the couch, noticing the rerun of Brooklyn-Nine-Nine playing out quietly on the TV.

"I could ask you the same question." Peter shot back at him, his voice coming out a little irritably. Tony raised his eyebrows at the teen, earning him a guilty look in return.

"I was calling Pepper, telling her about the change in plans. She's gonna come stay here with us, she'll be here tomorrow." Peter seemed to brighten up at the mention of Pepper, "But, why don't you tell me why you can't sleep." Tony asked, before the kid could continue to avoid the subject.

"I don't know. My mind just won't shut off." Peter finally responded after a few minutes of silence, his voice coming out in a whisper.

"What's going on in that brain of yours?" he signed, gently rubbing the boy's shoulders, he could feel the built up tension.

"That's the problem. I don't even know. It just feels like all my thoughts are going a mile a minute, like I can't even focus on one thought because they are going so fast." Tony knew what was going on. He knew the kid struggled with anxiety, he obviously, had struggled with the same thing. He thought back to what he used to do to quiet his mind, bar any bad habits of course.

"Hmm, anxiety is a bitch. I've had the same thing happen. I usually either go to the lab and tinker, or put on a movie I've seen a million times, so I don't have to think to hard about what's going on." he signed to Peter, who looked exhausted. "I'm thinking movie?" Peter nodded. Good, it was going to be much easier to coax him into sleeping when they were just lounging on the couch.

"What's a movie you've seen a bunch? Other than Star Wars." Tony asked, watching as Peter bit his lip, deep in thought.

"Peter Pan." he finally said, his face turning red, his voice shy.

"A classic." he gestured for FRIDAY to start the movie, as he and Peter settled deeper into the cushions. Peter tucked himself snugly into Tony's side, letting out a content sigh. Tony started to run his hands through the boy's curls, laughing to himself when the kid fell asleep five minutes into the movie.

He continued to play with Peter's hair, as he watched the boys on the screen have a sword fight, before he too drifted off to sleep.   
\---

The next morning he was woken up suddenly, realizing he and Peter had slept on the couch all night. He shook his sleep muddled head and tried to figure out what woke him.

"Boss?" Oh yeah, it had been FRIDAY that woke him up. He gestured for her to continue.

"It appears that Mr. Barton is requesting access to your quarters." Tony's eyes widened, and he shook Peter awake.

"Did he say what he wanted?" Tony signed, watching as Peter blinked his eyes open, confused.

"No, boss. He does have some boxes that appear to be filled with donuts." he could have sworn there was an amused lilt in her voice.

"What's going on?" Peter finally asked, more alert than he was a few seconds ago.

"Barton wants to come in. He apparently brought donuts." Peter stared at him as if he had grown another head. "What?" he finally signed.

"I don't know. Why would Hawkeye bring us donuts?" Peter asked him, as if his confusion was obvious.

"Well, should we let him in and see?" he signed with an exasperated sigh. Peter shrugged. "Thanks for the help kid. Let him in FRI." he decided, his curiosity getting the best of him.

A couple minutes later, Clint Barton himself, was waltzing into the kitchen, where Tony and Peter had moved to wait for him. He set the boxes on the counter and started signing to Tony, who was shocked for a moment before remembering that the archer was deaf, so of course he knew sign language.

"So, I heard through a certain little AI, that you guys were extending your stay. And I was getting bored giving you your space. I mean its been a while since I got to talk to someone in sign language, so...is this okay? I brought donuts?" Clint signed and spoke at the same time, seeming to second guess his actions while he was explaining. Tony exchanged looks with Peter, who seemed to not really care what was going on, and had already helped himself to some donuts.

"Umm...I guess?" Tony signed back, and Clint sent him an apologetic smile.

"Well, Cap finally came clean about what went on. And I know I was an asshole to you after everything that happened. So I wanted to apologize. Tasha told me to wait until you were ready...but I didn't think that was very effective. So here I am. I really am sorry. For fighting you, and saying all of that shit to you." Clint said, his voice sincere and full of regret. Tony was silent for a moment. He never really was mad at Clint after all, the comment at the Raft did hurt, but he couldn't blame him. He'd be angry if he got thrown in a floating prison too. And surprisingly, his anxiety was calm at the moment, making him feel at ease around the archer. So he smiled, watching as Clint let out a relieved sigh, passing him the other box of donuts.

"We're good birdbrain, but only if you included those cinnamon sugar donuts that I love." he signed, opening the box. To his shock, the box was filled with his favorite donuts.

"What do you take me for?" Clint replied, snagging one for himself and jumping to sit on the counter, facing Tony and Peter. Tony elbowed Peter, silently telling him to thank Clint. Peter rolled his eyes fondly and turned to the other man.

"Thanks for the donuts, Mr. Barton." Clint gave him a mock salute.

"Everyone knows that the way to Tony Stark's heart is donuts." he joked, Tony let out a huff of air, showing his offense.

"Nah, the way to his heart is coffee." Peter replied sending a smirk in Tony's direction.

"Oi watch it. I'm the one that feeds and houses your sorry butt at the moment kid." He signed, giving Peter a warning look, before sending him a wink. Peter just rolled his eyes, again.

"This kid. I like him. You play video games?" Clint asked next. Peter nodded, his mouth full, due to the fact he had just shoved an entire doughnut in his mouth seconds before. "Well, what are you waiting for, let's go."

And that's how Tony found himself spending the rest of the day in their living room, playing video games with his kid and the resident archer. Tony smiled to himself, this was definitely progress.  
\---

A few hours later, Tony and Peter were sitting on the couch, Tony going through some schematics for Rhodey's braces, Peter playing around with his web formula, when the kid's phone went off. Clint had left a little bit before, yelling promises of a rematch to Peter over his shoulder as he left.

He watched as Peter's brows furrowed as he read his text. Tony tapped on his shoulder twice, asking what was wrong. Peter looked up at him, confusion still present on his face.

"Oh, um Uncle Rhodey just texted me. Said that Natasha wanted to try out a new training simulation with me...so I will only be training with her today I guess." he replied with a shrug.

"A new training simulation? What does that even mean?" Tony signed, worried.

"I don't know. He didn't say anything else. But she wants me there in ten minutes, I'm going to go get my suit." He watched as Peter left, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach. He didn't like not knowing what Natasha had planned. And that she wanted to train him alone? That didn't sit right with him, he didn't trust the spy. She had turned on him one too many times for him to trust her with something as precious as his kid. He had just decided what he needed to do when Peter came running back into the room. Tony stood up.

"I'm coming with you." he signed, and Peter looked at him, eyes wide, shaking his head.

"No you're not. Dad, I'll be fine. You said you weren't ready to see her, just stay here." Peter told him, trying his best to sound stern, but failing.

"I just have a bad feeling about this. I need to keep you safe, and if that means see her then so be it." Tony signed back.

"Dad, we talked about this. You only have to see them if you're ready, and you're not. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure it will be fine...what could she possibly have planned that would be so bad anyway?" Peter asked, curiously.

"I don't know kid. But I don't trust her with you alone. Just let me come. If I can't handle it I will leave, I swear." Peter eyed him warily, his jaw clenching a couple times. He let out an unhappy sigh.

"Fine." he finally said, and Tony followed him into the elevator, the pair heading to the training room.

When they arrived, he saw Natasha going through some holograms. She noticed their arrival and raised her eyebrows. She must have sensed Tony's uneasiness and decided to ignore his presence for the moment, turning to address Peter.

"Okay, Spider-Man. I created a simulation to test your abilities. It's kind of like an obstacle course, get through it however you can while avoiding the obstacles I send your way. Nothing dangerous, they are all rubber weapons, I just want to see how you would fair on your own." Natasha explained. Peter nodded enthusiastically. He seemed to remember Tony was there, turning to him.

"Are you okay? You can leave now if you want." he signed, silently. Tony swallowed down his growing sense of uneasiness, and shook his head.

"I'm good. I want to see how you do. Might help me on some upgrades." he signed, trying to send him a reassuring smile, but with the way the eyes on Peter's mask narrowed, he must have failed. He shooed the kid away, and went to the side of the room, sitting on a bench out of the way, but where he could still observe.

Soon he was watching Peter avoid all types of flying weapons with ease, using his sticky ability and webs to his advantage. Tony watched, filled with a strange mix of fear and pride. Proud of how well Peter was doing, but not liking all the things flying at his kid. Then everything that happened next, happened quickly.

Tony was watching as Peter attached himself to the high ceiling to avoid a flying knife, but he didn't seem to see the drone that came up behind him. It clipped him in the shoulder, making him lose his grip on the ceiling, sending Peter toppling to the ground. Tony's heart lurched in his chest, images of Rhodey and Pepper falling nearly to their deaths filling his mind. He didn't remember getting up, but he found himself standing next to Natasha, shutting off the simulation, before collapsing on the ground, the flashbacks filling his brain.

He sat their, trembling, as the images of Pepper falling into the fire flashed in his head. Then that image was replaced with Rhodey falling in a dead suit, Tony not being able to reach him in time. Both of those images repeated until they were replaced with Peter. Peter falling into the fire, Tony's hand stretched out in vain, Peter falling to the ground with a sickening snap, Tony being forced to hold his motionless body. He was so caught in his memory that he didn't hear the medley of concerned voices shouting around him.

It must have been a while, but eventually he started to come back to himself. His head was in somebody's lap, a hand running through his hair, gentle humming coming from above him. There was another presence at his side, holding his hand tightly, words spilling out of their mouth. It took him a couple more minutes to become fully aware of his surroundings.

The lap he was laying in belonged to Natasha, she was still humming, her hand continuing to run through his hair. Peter was the one holding his hand, as he rambled about something he had learned in chemistry the other day. Tony let the humming and talking rush over him, while he waited for his heart to stop pounding in his ears, and his body to stop shaking.

"There you go Tony, you're okay. You are at the Avengers compound, we are in the training room. Peter is sitting right next to you. He is perfectly okay, not injured. He's safe, you're safe." Natasha's voice started to say, when she realized he was calming down. He listened to her words, letting them chase away the last of the panic, before he started to sit up.

Natasha moved to help steady him, and soon he was sitting up, despite being exhausted. He looked at Peter, who was looking at him, mask off, with panic in his eyes.

"You good kid?" he signed, hands still trembling slightly. Peter nodded, some of the panic subsiding at Tony's coherence. "Good. Can you give me a moment with Nat?" Peter looked like he was going to argue, but Tony sent him a pleading look. "I'm good. I just want to talk to her. Go upstairs and get comfy, I'm gonna need a mindless movie tonight." he signed, as Peter's shoulder's slumped in defeat.

"If you do anything to him I swear." Peter said, looking at the spy with an unspoken warning.

"I won't. I promise." she said. He seemed to accept that, leaving the room with one more glance at Tony. He waited a few minutes, making sure Peter would be out of hearing range before turning to the spy.

"What happened?" he asked. She sent him a worried look.

"You don't remember?" she asked, signing as well, of course she knew sign language too, being Clint's best friend.

"I remember him falling and then the flashbacks...that's it." Tony signed, watching as she schooled her face back into her unreadable mask.

"Well. You jumped from the bench and came to turn off the training simulation. Then the flashbacks took over and you fell to the ground. You didn't make a sound though, you just rocked back and forth with tears running down your face. But you wouldn't respond, and I could tell what was happening. So I laid you down, and me and Peter tried to calm you down, it took a while though." she finished explaining. Tony shook his head in frustration, he hadn't had a PTSD episode that bad in a while, and never around Peter. He couldn't imagine what the kid felt, having to see him like that.

"The kid?" he asked her, she seemed to know what he was asking, without him having to say it. He was grateful.

"He freaked out. He didn't want me near you, but he didn't know what to do so he eventually let me help you. I had to talk him down from his own panic attack once or twice...he called you dad." she told him, his heart clenched. Poor kid, seeing him like that probably scared him out of his mind. He'd only seen Tony have panic attacks, and a few of his bad days. But neither of those things were as intense as his PTSD flashback episodes.

"Thank you." he signed. She nodded, a soft smile on her face.

"I'm glad I could help at all, it was my fault putting him through the simulation while you were here." she said, frustrated with herself.

"You didn't know what would happen. It's not your fault." he signed, trying to comfort her. He must have done something wrong because she let out a bitter laugh.

"You are something else you know that? Here you are coming off a PTSD episode, trying to comfort me. The spy who stabbed you in the back too many times." she said, self deprecation evident in her tone. Tony stared at her for a moment, as if seeing her without a mask for the first time. Something inside him uncoiled, and he realized he had forgiven her.

"It's okay Nat, I forgive you. Just...try not to pull the whole double agent thing on me again?" he signed. Her face dropped in disbelief, and he could have sworn there were tears in her eyes. But she nodded, before standing up herself and then leaning down to help him up.

"I won't. And I know you don't trust me yet, but I will prove it to you. Now go back to your kid. He's probably freaking out up there." Tony let out a long breath, and nodded. 

He hesitated before leaving, turning back to the spy, "I don't need to threaten you about not revealing his identity or talking about the 'dad' thing right?" he signed. Natasha just mimed zipping her lips. He smiled, waving to her one last time, before heading back to his quarters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Please leave a comment and kudos!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait! I had to go on a spontaneous trip to see some family, so I wasn't able to finish the chapter as quickly as I wanted to! But, I appreciate all the positive feedback this story has been getting, it means alot! 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy! We are getting near the end of the story I think...
> 
> Enjoy!

Peter managed to hold it together long enough to reach the quarters he shared with Tony. Once he arrived, he let the tears fall, the panic hitting him full force, not noticing the figure sitting on the couch.

"Peter? Honey what happened? Where's Tony?" he turned, and saw Pepper's blurry figure approach him through his tears. He shook his head, not trusting his voice to say anything. When she reached him, she pulled him into a tight hug, rocking them back and forth. The same way she calmed him down all those months ago. Peter must have zoned out in his panic, because the next thing he knew, they were both settled on the couch, Pepper still rocking him and whispering soothingly in his ears.

When he finally pulled away he noticed that Tony had rejoined them, eyes filled with pain as he watched Peter.

"Hey kid." Tony signed, giving him a watery smile. Peter took a moment to observe his dad. His eyes were red, dark bags more prominent than they were this morning. He looked exhausted, underneath the concern for Peter, but altogether he looked okay. He got up and launched himself into his dad's arms. He felt his dad pull him close, burying his face into Peter's hair. They sat like this for a few moments before Tony pulled away enough to look at Peter.

"Hey, hey. I'm okay. Tell me what you need." Tony signed to him, pushing his bangs back from his forehead when he finished. Peter sniffed, his nose clogged from all the crying, and he could feel a migraine beating at the base of his skull. He felt slightly guilty, having Tony taking care of him, even after what Tony had just gone through. But he was too emotional to think straight.

"Movie." he signed, still not trusting his voice. Tony nodded, helping Peter get settled between him and Pepper, both of them hugging him close in comfort. He could feel Pepper and Tony having a silent conversation above his head, as Peter Pan started on the TV. He felt Pepper move closer, so she could hold both of them at once, comforting them both. Soon, both he and Tony fell asleep, both of them emotionally drained from the day.  
\---

Peter opened his eyes, barely registering where he was, until he heard Pepper's soft voice coming in from the kitchen.

"Yeah, no they are both sleeping right now. Just tell them they aren't feeling well. Peter...I don't know, you should have seen him Rhodey. Tony looked seconds away from his own breakdown, until he saw Peter. Then he somehow shook it off." She was silent for a moment, "Yeah, I'll let you know when they are both awake and up for visitors...I'm still not sure what kind of mood Tony will be in when he wakes up. Okay, bye Rhodey."

At those words, the memories of what happened earlier came back to him. He looked around in a panic, relaxing when he saw Tony still sound asleep on the other end of the couch, an Ironman blanket spread over his slumbering figure. He got up quietly and headed to the kitchen.

Pepper looked up from her Starkpad when he entered the kitchen and gave him a warm smile.

"Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?" she asked, getting up and brushing his hair out of his face. He gave her a small smile.

"I'm okay, just a headache." he said, quietly. He didn't want to wake Tony up. Pepper nodded and handed him a glass of water and a painkiller. "I figured. I got some of your spider enhanced painkillers from the med bay." He downed the medicine and water, when he was finished he gave her a grateful smile. Then he surprised her by giving her a tight hug.

"I'm sorry I freaked out last night. I didn't want to worry you, or make Tony worse, I mean..he had a flashback because I fell." Pepper's eyes filled with understanding.

"No honey, it wasn't your fault. Tony's had a lot of bad stuff happen to him, and sometimes they catch up with him. But, you didn't make anything worse by being scared, in all honesty it probably helped Tony. Gave him something to focus on instead of getting caught up in his memories." Peter nodded reluctantly.

"So you think he's going to be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, he'll pull through. But let's be prepared for anything...it could be a bad day." Peter nodded solemnly, before Pepper changed the subject. "So apparently you guys have gotten pretty popular around here. Rhodey says that Bruce, Thor, Loki, and even Clint are asking about you guys. And you've only been asleep for a couple hours." Peter was surprised. He knew that they had gotten closer to Bruce since he got back, but they had only hung out with Thor and Loki a couple times, and Clint only once. But he was sure it was a good sign that they seemed to care about Tony.

"Huh, well what did Rhodey tell them?" he asked, watching as Pepper started gathering ingredients for sandwiches.

"Well, he said you guys weren't feeling well, and apparently now they are all worried about you, if Rhodey's annoyed texts are anything to go by. I didn't know you guys had been talking to any of the Avengers. Do you want chips with your sandwich?" Peter's heart warmed at how she was taking care of him, it felt nice.

"Um yes please...thank you. And it just happened recently, Clint actually just came and apologized to Tony this morning, he brought us donuts. It was kind of strange, but Tony seemed to enjoy it." Pepper nodded as she handed him a plate with several sandwiches and some chips.

"Eat. And I suppose it's good he's starting to face these people. But I can't say I like how the encounter with Natasha ended." she said, setting out to make herself a sandwich. Peter blanched.

"I don't think Natasha did it on purpose. She didn't even know Tony was going to come. He only decided to come right before." Pepper looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"I believe you. Natasha however...let's just say we have our fair share of problems. But I'm sure she didn't know anything would happen, but I don't doubt she wanted Tony to come with you." Peter thought about it for a moment, I mean it was pretty clever, so he wouldn't put it past the spy to orchestrate such a thing. But he knew she didn't mean for the flashback to happen, her panicked reaction to seeing Tony like that said it all.

"Are you going to make us come back to the tower now?" Peter asked shyly. He had been enjoying the compound and the training, but he would never stay here if it was hurting Tony. But what Pepper said next surprised him.

"No, despite my better judgment. I think being here has been good for him, in a way. I mean he seemed lighter when I talked to him last night. And we always knew things were going to be hard, so we can't let a few roadblocks turn us around." She smiled at him over her sandwich. They ate in silence for a couple of minutes, before Peter spoke up again.

"You know, I'm really glad you're here." Peter said shyly. Pepper looked up from her phone, a little surprised. "You remind me of Aunt May, and it's nice to have like...a mother type figure in my life again...you know?" Pepper's face softened immensely. She stood up, putting her plate in the sink, before coming and placing a kiss on Peter's forehead.

"I know. I'm pretty fond of you too." she said before winking at him, "I'm going to go check on Tony." She gave his shoulder a squeeze before she left the room. Peter finished his lunch quickly, following Pepper's lead and heading back to the living room. When he entered the living room, he saw Pepper kneeling in front of Tony, speaking to him softly. Tony was still laying down, buried under his blanket, one hand free as he was using it to tell Pepper something. He watched as Pepper let out a laugh and rolled her eyes, he hoped that was a good sign.

"He's right there. Peter, he's asking for you." Pepper said, spotting him in the doorway. Peter circled around the couch, sitting down on the floor in front of Tony.

"Who said you could be lazy?" Peter joked, as he took in his dad's appearance. His eyes were clear, and he didn't look as run down as he had earlier. Tony looked at him incredulously.

"Rude. Is that any way to speak to your father? I'm still exhausted, so I figured it was a lazy day." Tony signed, both arms now free to make it easier. Peter smiled brightly, happy that Tony was okay enough to joke around with them. "Enough about me. How are you?"

"I'm fine." Peter said, not worried about himself. Tony gave him a look.

"No. Tell me how you are, when I got up here earlier you were in the middle of a panic attack." Tony signed, a hard, pained look on his face. Peter sighed.

"I'm okay. It was just scary, I didn't know what to do, and you wouldn't come out of it. You were on the ground for like 20 minutes." Peter said, watching as Tony's face fell a little.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that Pete. You sure you're okay?" he asked again, worry written all over his face.

"Yeah, I'm all good. I had a headache, but Pepper took care of me." Tony smiled, before sending a grateful smile to Pepper as well, who had moved to sit by his feet on the couch.

"Okay. Good. But, why am I still tired?" Tony signed next, with an exasperated sigh, a childish frown on his face. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm sure those kind of things take a lot out of you. Either that or you're old. Why don't you go back to sleep?" Peter asked him, but before Tony could respond, Pepper chimed in.

"Great idea Pete. But first Tony needs to eat. And also Rhodey has been texting me. You two have quite the fan club apparently and they all want to know if you guys are up for visitors." Peter watched as Tony's face lit up in surprise, before turning to meet Peter's eyes. He shrugged at Tony's unasked question.

"Well, I might not stay awake for long, but I'm okay with it if Peter is." Tony signed, surprising both Peter and Pepper. Pepper looked at him questioningly, he nodded his assent. She sent Tony a proud smile, before announcing she was going to make Tony lunch, making her way back to the kitchen.

"Are you sure you are up for people?" Peter asked, but Tony just shrugged. Then the elevator dinged in the hallway.

"Too late." Tony signed with a smirk, as voices started trailing in from the hallway. Rhodey was the first one to enter.

"Pete, Tony. How are you guys?" he asked sincerely. He watched as Tony responded, before Rhodey was looking at him. "And you, my favorite nephew, how are you? I heard you had quite the morning too." he asked, voice laced in concern. Peter could see Tony smiling softly out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm good Uncle Rhodey, promise." he said, as a voice piped up behind the Colonel.

"Uncle? Why does this guy get an uncle title?" Clint asked, walking into the room, arms filled with different games. Rhodey glared at him, causing Clint to put his hands up in surrender, and promptly dropping everything he was carrying. Peter let out a giggle, as the rest of the people trailed in. Thor, Bruce, and Loki all came in and settled around on the different couches and chairs.

"So Tony, Rhodey said you weren't feeling well. Is there anything we can do to help?" Bruce asked, eyeing the billionaire as he sat down. Tony motioned for Peter to help him sit up, so he rushed to his dad's side, helping him get comfortable again. He started signing, expecting Peter to translate, like always.

"Nothing a little sleep can't fix. But Pep said I needed to eat and apparently entertain my fan club." Peter laughed as he interpreted that. Bruce seemed to find it amusing as well before he turned to Peter.

"And you Peter, how are you feeling?" Peter felt a little shocked that the scientist also cared about his well being, but he was quick to answer.

"I'm feeling better, Pepper has already taken care of me. Now it's Tony's turn." Peter said, stifling a laugh at the look Tony sent him.

"I heard my name?" Pepper asked as she re-entered the room, a plate of food that she placed in Tony's lap, before sitting on the other side of Peter. "Eat that entire plate, then you need to sleep." Tony sent her a look, that closely resembled a pout before starting to eat.

"I'm glad to see you are well taken care of Man of Iron, we were worried for nothing it seems." Thor then bellowed from across the room. Loki was sat next to him, watching everyone suspiciously. Peter found him kind of creepy sometimes. He watched as Tony signed something before he interpreted.

"Yeah Pep and Pete are great caretakers. But it's nice to know you guys care."

"Well of course. I know it's been a while, and we had some...disagreements. But, we still care about you shell-head. Plus, I brought stuff to play with Peter later, when he's up to it." Clint piped up, from where he was miraculously perched on the back of an armchair. Peter briefly wondered how he was balancing, when a weight was placed in his lap. He looked down to see Tony had placed his empty plate on his lap. He looked up at his dad, ready to tease him, when he saw the exhaustion in his eyes. So he said nothing, getting up to put the plate back in the sink. The social interaction was probably draining any energy Tony had left. 

When he got back in the room he listened as Pepper interpreted what Tony was signing.

"We were about to watch a movie, you guys are welcome to stay. But be warned I will probably conk out like five minutes into the movie." Everybody looked a little surprised that Tony was inviting them to stay, but they all nodded in agreement. He walked back over and sat in between Pepper and Tony. They all decided on a movie when Tony gestured for Peter to come closer. He settled into his dad's side, as Tony settled back into the cushions, placing the blanket around both of them. He then linked hands with Pepper with the hand that had wormed around Peter's back. Peter smiled when the other hand started combing through his hair.

He became so focused on the movie, that he didn't notice the others' gaze on them throughout the movie. Their gazes were a mix of surprised and fond. Tony was true to his word, and fell asleep almost as soon as the movie started.

When the movie ended, he watched as everyone else stood up to leave, too comfortable to move.

"Make sure to tell us if you or Tony need anything okay?" Bruce said quietly to Pepper, while Clint nodded in agreement before sending Peter a wink. Pepper thanked them, and Peter waved to them as they all made their way back to the elevator. Soon it was just him and Pepper, with a sleeping Tony.

"Why don't you get some sleep too?" Pepper said gently, pulling the blanket back up around him and Tony. Peter didn't need to be told twice, and gave into the exhaustion he didn't even know he felt. Before he drifted off he felt Pepper press another kiss to his forehead.

\---

For the second time, Peter woke up on the couch the next morning. But this time he was startled awake. It must have been his spidey sense, as Tony liked to call it, because his hair was standing on edge, and he felt uneasy. He turned in the direction that his sense was screaming at him to look. He turned and saw Natasha sitting in the armchair with a book, looking at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What just happened?" she asked, quietly. Peter stared at her in surprise for a moment, before realizing where they were, and who was here. They were in his and Tony's living room, and Natasha was here. She shouldn't be here. He looked around for a moment and noticed that Tony, again, was still fast asleep on the couch, but Pepper was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you doing up here? You shouldn't be here." Peter said, in a harsh whisper, eyeing Natasha. She looked at him, unimpressed, before rolling her eyes.

"Stand down little spider. Pepper had to go to a meeting, the board wouldn't let her move it, so she had them come here. And Rhodey is at PT, so apparently I was the next best babysitter." Natasha explained. Peter still felt very uneasy at the situation. He focused his hearing on Tony's heartbeat, trying to make sure he was still sleeping soundly, before replying.

"I don't know if you being here is really the best idea." he watched as she studied him. It was kind of off putting, the way it felt like she could see into his very soul. When she didn't respond, Peter went on the defensive, forgetting to monitor his volume.

"No. You should leave. I can take care of Mr. Stark just fine. And you were the one who caused that flashback yesterday! You hurt him, so many times, you have no right to be here!" Peter said, voice raised, unable to control his emotions. He knew what he was saying wasn't true, but he said them anyway. He was aware he probably sounded like a child, but he wasn't aware that his yelling had woken up the slumbering genius behind him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him around to face his dad.

His dad looked concerned, glancing between him and Natasha. But he didn't seem at all phased that Natasha was there.

"Hey, what's wrong bud?" Tony finally signed, giving all his attention to Peter. Peter gaped at him, he motioned back to Natasha, who was obviously the reason of his distress.

"Her! She shouldn't be here." Peter said, getting self-conscious about how whiny he sounded. Tony looked up to Natasha who shrugged, turning back to her book. Tony rolled his eyes, and looked back to Peter.

"It's okay. We worked things out yesterday, we are all good. She came to help take care of us if we needed it, while Pepper is gone. She woke me up to ask permission. She just didn't want us to be alone if we woke up to a bad day." Tony explained, but Peter was still confused.

"But why her?" he asked, in sign language. He wanted to avoid sounding like a stupid kid, so he just didn't talk. Tony's face softened fondly, as if he knew Peter's thoughts.

"Well, I know she may have turned on me a couple times in the past. But out of everyone here, she's known me the longest and she's seen me at my worst. I would have felt better if it was her seeing me having a bad day then any of the others. She was least likely to make it worse." Natasha let out a snort behind him, causing Tony to send her a playful glare as he launched a pillow at her. Peter watched the exchange in confusion.

"You promise you guys are good?" Peter asked, his senses were still a little uneasy, but it was probably just worry for Tony. Tony nodded and smiled. Peter smiled back, pushing down any concern over the spy. He turned to her.

"Sorry I yelled at you. I know you didn't hurt him on purpose yesterday." she nodded her acceptance, before Tony waved his hand around in the air to get their attention.

"I agree. But jury's still out on whether that solo training session was a ploy to lure me out of my side of the compound." he signed, eyes narrowed in Natasha's direction. But there was a playful glint in his eyes. Peter turned to see Natasha give him a completely innocent look, before standing up, winking at Peter.

"Hot chocolate anyone?" she asked as she headed to the kitchen. Peter cheered in agreement, but Tony's eyes just narrowed further at Natasha's retreating back. Once she was out of sight, he turned to Peter.

"Stupid spies." he signed, flopping back into his cocoon of blankets. Peter laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this was kind of a filler chapter, to show how the relationships are developing. The next one will hopefully be a little more exciting. 
> 
> Leave a comment about what you thought, and what you think is going to happen next!!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so glad you guys are liking the story! I never thought many people would read it, let alone like it!
> 
> I appreciate all the support and the comments! Keep them coming!
> 
> TW: PTSD flashback 
> 
> Disclaimer: I talk a little bit about what happened in Civil War here, and just know it doesn't reflect my opinion of what happened, I was just trying to think how Tony viewed it so just remember that!
> 
> Enjoy!

The next couple of days were strange, to say the least.

After his flashback, he had rushed upstairs to find Peter in the middle of the worst panic attack he had seen the boy have. And he felt terrible. He had pushed down his own festering break down to focus on his kid. And in that moment he realized how important Peter was to him. He had then overheard Peter and Pepper's conversation in the kitchen, when he had woken up. He heard Peter blame himself for his flashback, and Pepper say he seemed better since being here.

He didn't know how true that was. But he got a glimpse, when some of the team had come up after he woke up to make sure he was okay. He had been exhausted, and the thought of social interaction made him want to curl into a ball and take a nap. But, he saw the proud smile Pepper had sent him when he agreed to let them come up, and he knew she had a point. Seeing that these people still cared about him, helped loosen something else inside him. So maybe Pepper was right, maybe being here around these people, and forgiving them, would be the thing to help him heal.

So when Pepper woke him up and told him about her meeting and Rhodey being gone, he was quick to agree to her suggestion to have Natasha come sit with them. At first he didn't think they needed a babysitter, but then he thought about Peter's panic attack. He didn't want Peter to be alone, in case anything else happened, and Natasha had seen him at his worst so many times so she would know what to do. And even though he didn't trust her fully, he trusted her word, that she was going to prove herself to him. This was her chance.

It warmed his heart to hear how much Peter cared about him, enough to try an yell at a spy who could kill him with her bare hands. But after he explained everything, Peter had warmed up to her. And it seemed that she had grown pretty fond of Peter too, doting on him for the rest of the morning until Pepper returned.

But then the team kept visiting them. And that left Tony shocked. He thought their last visit was just because they had heard they weren't feeling good, so they visited out of courtesy. Then Clint started requesting to come by every afternoon, to play video games with Peter. Tony always found those afternoons relaxing, listening to his kid and Clint send insults back and forth. And Bruce, he came to the workshop every time they were in there. Either to help them with what they were working on, or just to be in their company, working on his own projects.

Thor and Loki always found some kind of excuse to be on their floor. Most of their excuses consisted of being confused by some earthly custom. Loki made him uneasy at first, but after hearing about their story in more detail, he realized the god had changed. They then became fast friends, playfully sending insults at each other back and forth. Thor found it amusing, and Loki's wit definitely rivaled his own.

And Natasha had convinced Tony to come with Peter to his training sessions. She had promised no more simulations, so Tony had agreed. He used this time to observe Peter, and make notes on how to improve the kid's suit, to best keep him safe. But by tagging along with Peter, meant that he also found himself around Bucky, who had been working with Peter on his strength.

At first that worried Tony. He was afraid that the soldier would try and bring up what happened, and he wasn't ready to deal with any of that, regardless how far he had come. But when he saw the soldier in person, Bucky said nothing. He didn't acknowledge Tony's presence with anything but a curt nod. And that made him more at ease being near the assassin, but it also made him think more about everything that had happened.

He had known, logically, that Bucky was brainwashed and it wasn't his fault he was ordered to kill his parents. He knew what it was like to be brainwashed and being used to hurt people. Ultron was his creation yes, but Wanda had planted that vision in his head, he knew it wasn't close to the same thing, but he understood. He didn't even think he blamed Barnes at the time, he was just upset. He had just watched his mom get _murdered_, and then he had to watch as Steve, who was supposed to be his friend, his family, try to lie to his face. The betrayal definitely had stung the most, and that combined with the video, was the reason for his reaction. He lashed out, blindly, just wanting Steve to feel the pain he felt, and if that meant going after Barnes, then that's what he would do.

He knew he shouldn't have attacked, and he felt bad, but he didn't want to dwell in the past. So, that is why he approached Bucky first at Peter's training session a couple days later. Bucky watched him carefully as he approached. He had been prepping the equipment for his and Peter's training session while the kid sparred with Natasha.

When he reached the soldier, he held out a notepad, with a previously written question.

_Do you know sign language?_

Bucky looked at the note for a moment, before meeting Tony's eyes and nodding. Tony was relieved, this would go a lot better knowing he didn't have to write everything he wanted to say. Tony set the notepad in his pocket and took a breath.

"I wanted to apologize, for blowing your arm off." Tony signed, figuring he'd just start with the apology, rip off the band-aid so to speak. Bucky, despite being a trained assassin, let his shock show.

"Are you serious?" he finally asked, his voice low. Tony flinched a little, worried he had made the man angry. Bucky seemed to sense this and hurried to continue. "You are seriously apologizing to me? After what I did?" he finished, he shock still evident on his face.

"Yeah?" Tony replied lamely, unsure how to respond to that. Then Bucky did something even more confusing. He shook his head and let out a disbelieving laugh.

"These people are wrong about you. You are definitely not selfish. You just apologized to me for defending yourself when I was attacking you, after you found out I killed your parents. You are something else." Tony wanted to flinch at the mention of his parents, but was too shocked at his other words.

"Wait...what?" he asked, his brain still short circuiting, but at least his hands still worked.

"Stark, I was never mad at you. I thought I deserved it, I deserve anything you want to do to me. After what I did." he said, head ducking in shame. Tony finally understood, because he had felt the same way in Afghanistan, and so many times since. He shook his head.

"It wasn't you. I knew that. I just lashed out, and I shouldn't have. I was upset about the video and Steve's lying, and I didn't think. But no one deserves pain, so I'm sorry." Tony signed, making a conscious effort to slow his hands so Bucky would be sure to catch his words. When he finished signing, Bucky kept his gaze locked on Tony's hands, as if he couldn't believe what he had just been told.

"I accept your apology, even though there was never anything to forgive. But...I'm sorry, for what I did. I wouldn't blame you if you never forgave me, and never spoke to me again, but I'm still very sorry." Tony mulled over his words for a few seconds. He knew he had every right to not forgive him, to walk away, his conscious clean, and move on with his life. But as he looked into the soldier's eyes, he saw the sincere regret lingering deep within them. So he nodded.

"We're all good Frosty." Tony finally signed. He watched as Bucky looked at him like he had just found the cure for cancer or something. He smiled at the solider one last time, before changing the subject.

"So, I know someone fixed the arm I ruined, but I was wondering if I could take a look? I've been wondering how it works, and I could make some improvements?" Bucky looked at him like he had again yanked the world out from under him, before nodding.

"Yeah. I think that would be okay." Tony nodded, before heading back to watch Peter and Natasha.

And so began Bucky's weekly lab visits. Peter was still hesitant, and Bucky was only allowed to come when he was there too. But Peter soon became as invested in the project as Tony had. They had found out that when the group was in Wakanda, Bucky went back under. They fixed his triggers, and by the time he woke up they were pardoned. So they gave him back his old arm, fixed, and sent him back, not having the time to make him a new one. Tony and Peter decided that would be their job.

The old arm had been causing Bucky pain for the longest time, and would freeze up occasionally. Bucky had been suffering in silence, so they set out to make him a new arm. But while they created the new arm, Tony had Bucky come by every week so he could work on the old arm. That way Bucky didn't have to be in pain while he waited.

"Okay, that should fix the freezing problem. But if it freezes come find me, so I can fix whatever I missed." Tony signed, after he closed up the plates of Bucky's arm. When he was done Bucky flexed it a couple of times, nodding in approval.

"Thanks, Stark. I'll let you know if anything happens." Bucky said. Tony stopped him before he could leave.

"Call me Tony. We see each other enough. And Pete has the new schematic for your arm he wants to show you." Peter looked up from across the room, his eyes wide.

"Oh yeah! Come over here Mr. Barnes, I think you are going to love what we did!" Peter said excitedly. Bucky shook his head in amusement before heading over.

"Call me Bucky, both of you." he said, as Peter started showing him the floating hologram. Tony watched fondly. He loved watching Peter's eyes light up while he was doing something he loved.

"Sergeant Barnes, Mr. Rogers is requesting your presence in the common room." FRIDAY's voice announced in the lab. He saw Peter deflate slightly at being interrupted. But then Bucky spoke up.

"Tell him I'll be a minute. Keep going, Peter, I'll go up when we are done." Peter beamed, and continued his rambling. Bucky glanced over at Tony, and he sent him a quick thank you sign, and Bucky winked before turning back to Peter.

Tony really appreciated the fact that Bucky was willing to continue to listen to Peter. He probably didn't understand half the things Peter was saying, but at least he was actually listening, and asking questions. Tony could remember so many instances where his team would only pretend to listen to his rambles, not actually interested in what he had to say. So the fact that Bucky wouldn't do that to his kid, made him glad he was able to put their past behind them and become friends.

Once Peter was done, and Bucky had left to meet with Steve, they were left alone. It seemed like it had been a while since it had just been the two of them. Lately there had always been someone with them, whether it was Pepper or one of the other Avengers.

"Hey, you are doing such a good job on that arm, kid." Tony signed, when he had gotten the kid's attention. Peter blushed.

"Thanks Dad. I was honestly surprised when you told me about it. I didn't think you'd ever even want to be in the same vicinity as him." Peter said, looking thoughtful.

"I didn't at first. But once I thought about it, I realized I was never mad at him, just Rogers. He's not a bad guy, he doesn't deserve to constantly be in pain with that arm." Tony signed, and Peter gave him a warm smile.

"You always talk about how your just a selfish billionaire. But obviously you care." Peter joked. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Come over here, let's work on your suit. I have some ideas for Karen." Tony signed. Him and Peter proceeded to get caught up in Karen's code for the next couple hours. Tony was about to stop them both and take a break, when FRIDAY interrupted for him.

"Boss, it seems as though Bucky is in extreme distress on the common floor." Tony and Peter locked eyes. Tony didn't want to go to the common floor, as there were still people there he hadn't faced yet. But he also knew that FRIDAY wouldn't be telling him this, unless he was needed.

"Let's go." Peter said, seemingly having read his mind. Tony nodded and followed his kid out the door. When they arrived Tony took in the scene in front of him, Peter standing behind him.

Bucky was on the floor, knees to his chest, in the corner. He looked like he was shaking, his metal arm hanging limply at his side at an awkward angle. Steve was a couple feet away, staring at Bucky in horror, while Sam stood in between the two. It kind of looked like he was trying to keep Steve away from Bucky, which didn't make sense to Tony. The only other person in the room was surprisingly Loki.

"What happened?" Tony signed to Loki, knowing he would be able to understand him.

"I'm not entirely sure. But, I believe the soldier's arm malfunctioned, and he was about to alert you. Then the Captain tried to stop him, quite loudly, and grabbed his metal arm. Then this happened." Loki said, his distaste for Steve evident in his tone.

"Why would Steve grabbing him cause this?" Peter asked quietly, and Tony took a moment to observe the trembling figure in the corner. Bucky was rocking back and forth, his flesh hand gripping his hair tightly. But what gave it away was his eyes. They were glassy, giving Tony the impression that he was seeing something they weren't, then it clicked.

"He's having a flashback." Tony signed, Peter giving a small gasp. "Everyone back up give him space." Peter interpreted for him. Sam all but pushed Steve back toward where Loki was standing, luckily keeping him away from Tony as well. Tony slowly approached Bucky, unsure of how to approach this. He couldn't say anything, which wasn't going to help pull Bucky from wherever he was. He beckoned for Peter to come closer, Steve tried to protest from the corner of his eye, but a glare from Peter of all people shut him up.

"I'm going to try and ground him, you just start talking him through the updates to Karen okay?" Tony signed to Peter, hoping the combination of those two things would actually help.

Tony grabbed Bucky's flesh hand in his own, squeezing it tightly, while rubbing his other thumb over the knee in front of him. Peter started talking about the changes they had just made to Karen. It seemed like it wasn't working at first, but gradually Bucky stopped shaking, and some tension left his shoulders. After a couple more minutes, Bucky's eyes snapped up to meet his.

"Tony?" he asked, his voice low and rough, confusion laced in his tone. Tony nodded, only removing the hand on Bucky's knee, to respond.

"You had a flashback, but you are safe. You are at the compound. I think your arm malfunctioned, would you like me to take a look at it?" he signed, still squeezing the man's hand. Bucky nodded shakily, and Peter and Tony helped him to his feet.

"Buck..." Steve tried to step from behind Sam, causing both Bucky and Tony to flinch slightly.

"I think it's best you let them go Captain." Loki said, stepping between them. Steve, glared at Loki, but nodded. Tony took that as his queue to leave and ushered the other two into the elevator, taking them down to his lab.

They entered quietly, Bucky sitting down in his usual chair by Tony's worktable. Tony started to work on the arm silently, Peter standing by handing him what he needed without a word. He didn't want to push Bucky into talking, he knew how it felt to have a flashback, and he felt for the man. But eventually Bucky spoke up.

"Sorry for making a scene. The arm...uh it froze up, and it hurt. And then Steve was yelling at me for trusting you to touch it, and then he grabbed me. And-And it was like I was back there, the pain and the yelling...sorry." he whispered. Tony looked up briefly, watching as a single tear made it's way down his face. Tony let out a sigh and handed the tools to Peter, motioning for him to continue what he was doing. Bucky watching him with sad eyes the entire time.

"Bucky, don't apologize. Please don't. You should never apologize for having a flashback, or feeling pain. I've been told that enough times in my life, that I think I finally believe it. It wasn't your fault. Okay?" He waited for Bucky to nod before continuing. "Now, your other arm is almost done, I should have it finished tomorrow, so that will solve the pain. But right now...how are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Bucky looked at him for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Okay. Well, I know I'm always exhausted after something like that. So when Peter is done, we will go to our living room and you can stay there as long as you need. Sound good?" Tony signed, watching Bucky as he helped Peter close up the arm.

"Thank you." Bucky said quietly. Tony waved him off, and lead them all to their floor. He sent Peter to go make some hot chocolate, before helping Bucky get comfortable on the couch. Pepper, who had entered in the middle of all this, sent him a questioning look. He assured her they were fine, before she made her way out, leaving them alone.

"Here you go, Bucky. Do you wanna watch a movie? That usually makes me feel better." Tony watched as Peter addressed Bucky. He smiled at the gentleness his son was showing for the man. Bucky whispered something Tony couldn't make out, but he saw Peter smile and nod.

"FRI, play Snow White please." Tony widened his eyes at the selection, but chose not to mention it while Bucky was in such a vulnerable state. He sat on one side of Bucky, while Peter sat on the other. He hoped their presence was comforting, and seeing how Bucky leaned a little into his side, he was glad it did.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Bucky was sound asleep. Him and Peter carefully maneuvered the soldier into a more comfortable position, and Tony gestured for Peter to follow him into the kitchen.

Peter looked at him, and let out a big sigh. "That was so weird." Tony let out a laugh.

"You're telling me. I don't even know what to think right now." Tony signed, leaning against the counter with a sigh.

"Are you okay though? I know Steve was there..." Peter asked him. He grimaced.

"It was...weird. Luckily I had something to focus on so I'm good." Tony signed, and Peter nodded while glancing at the living room.

"Do you think he will be okay?" Tony smiled, again blown away by how amazing his kid is.

"I can only hope. I don't know how this will affect him when he wakes up. This kind of stuff affects everyone differently." Tony signed. Peter looked thoughtful for a moment, and gave Tony a determined look in return.

"Well, then we will help him through whatever it is. Let's go sit with him in case he wakes up." Peter said. Tony nodded, and ruffled his hair proudly. This kid never ceased to amaze him with his empathy and care for others.

And hours later, when Bucky woke up with a panic attack, Tony and Peter were there to comfort him. Tony never thought he would become close to any of the Avengers again, let alone the assassin that killed his parents. But something inside told him that this is where he was supposed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and let me know what you think might happen next!
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive feedback!
> 
> I know that I said that this was almost over...but I keep thinking of more ideas so it might be a little longer than I thought! Hope you don't mind!
> 
> Enjoy!

"How is he?" Tony signed to him when he walked back into the living room.

"We watched a couple episodes of Gilmore Girls, then he fell asleep. I hope he sleeps the rest of the night." Peter said, plopping down on the couch next to Tony.

"The Winter Solider likes Gilmore Girls huh?" Tony signed next, he didn't look judgmental though, he mostly looked tired. That worried Peter.

"He says the humor brings him back to reality. Plus I think he identifies with Luke." Peter mused. Tony snorted in response and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the back of the couch.

"Yeah, it just sucks that he's having all these nightmares. It was nice of you to let him stay here for a couple days though." Peter said, eyeing his dad. Bucky had been staying in one of the spare bedrooms in their quarters for the past two nights. The flashback he had, set him back more than they all thought it would. It brought all his memories back to the surface, causing nightmares as well as a few smaller flashbacks. It had been so bad, he had pleaded for Tony not to make him go back to the quarters he shared with Steve. And Tony, being the selfless person he is, said yes.

But, Peter was worried about the toll it was taking on his dad. He knew having Bucky around had been getting easier, but being around the soldier while he was having nightmares and flashbacks was not good for Tony. His nightmares had made a reappearance the past two nights as well.

"Well, we have the room." Tony signed, eyes still closed. Peter sighed.

"You know that's not why you let him stay." Peter said quietly, watching as Tony opened his eyes and tilted his head toward him.

"Yeah, yeah. I know what this shit feels like, and I would never want him to suffer alone, let alone with the person who set it off." Tony signed back. Peter smiled at him. He knew Tony was selfless, and he had always known that. But, he also knew that selflessness could backfire on him.

"But how are you?" Peter asked, in a tone that he had hoped demanded honesty. Tony let out a deep sigh, exhaustion etched in his features.

"I'm okay. It's hard watching it happen, it makes my problems bubble to the surface. But, I'm mostly worried about what's happening on the other side of the compound." Tony signed, and Peter sat there quietly for a moment.

"That's not your job to worry about. Bucky asked for space, you provided it. Let Rhodey and Nat handle it, like they said they would. Plus, Loki told me that he would turn Steve into a snake before he let him come over here." That caused Tony to let out a laugh.

"I would pay to see the outcome of that. But yeah, you're right. I will let them handle it. Plus we are going home in a couple days, whenever May finally gets back." Tony signed then. And yeah, Peter loved it at the compound, but their stay there had been nothing short of an adventure. So he was ready to go home, and put some distance between them and the craziness.

"Okay, it's late. Time for bed. Come on, we can have a sleepover." Peter said, standing up, offering his hand to Tony. He stood up with Peter's help while he gave him a flat look. But Peter knew that he appreciated the company, especially when he woke up with a nightmare.

Peter and Tony had only been asleep for a couple hours, when Peter was woken up by the sound of a pounding heart. He looked over and saw Tony sitting up in the bed, breathing heavily, eyes frantically searching the room.

"Hey, hey. Dad, you're okay. We are at the compound, and we are both safe." Peter whispered, squeezing Tony's hand. That seemed to help because Tony's eyes snapped to his, and he relaxed. He sat there, focused on his breathing for a couple more minutes before he said anything.

"Thanks kid, I'm good." Tony signed, settling himself back against the pillows.

"FRIDAY, can you play Wall-E please." Peter said, settling into Tony's side. He knew it was one of the movies Tony liked to play when he had a bad day, because his dad was obsessed with robots. And he knew it was the right call when he felt Tony finally relax beside him.  
\---

The next morning Peter walked into the kitchen, surprised at what he saw. Bucky was out of hiding, standing at the stove, making pancakes. And Tony was sitting at the table, having a heated conversation with Natasha. He decided to avoid that, and approached the man by the stove.

"Hey Bucky, whatcha making?" he asked, surprised when Bucky turned around with a smile.

"Well, you guys have been so kind letting me stay here. So I thought I'd pay y'all back with some pancakes. Wanna help?" Peter nodded enthusiastically, so Bucky showed him what he needed help with. While he was mixing up some batter, he tuned into the conversation happening behind him with his enhanced hearing, even though he could only hear Natasha's side.

"I really think it would be a good idea, before you go back to the tower. Just get everything out in the open." Natasha was saying. He didn't know what she was talking about, but he didn't have a good feeling about it. And apparently neither did Tony, because his heart rate was pretty high. He decided to let them be for a minute, turning to Bucky.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked, shyly. Bucky nodded, so he continued. "How do you know sign language? I noticed you never had to use FRIDAY's translator earpiece." He watched as Bucky frowned for a moment, making him worry that he had crossed a line.

"Well, when I was...what I was, they wanted me to be efficient. And that meant knowing as many languages as possible. Sign language just happened to be one of them. Couldn't tell you why, but I'm glad I do." Bucky said, with a small smile.

"I'm glad you do too. It makes him feel better when he doesn't have to worry about people understanding him. Even though he would never ask anyone to learn it for him." Peter said, handing Bucky his freshly mixed batter. Bucky hummed thoughtfully.

"So did you already know it too then?" he asked, pouring the batter into perfect circles on the pan.

"No. I learned it after I found out what happened. It took me a week or two to perfect it, but I know he was really happy I did it. I think I was the first one."

"Not even his dame? Or the one with the leg braces...the Colonel?" Bucky asked, he seemed embarrassed that he didn't know their names.

"Pepper and Rhodey? Yeah they learned eventually, it just took them a lot longer. I just learn really fast, I think. Plus they are both very busy people." Peter said, hoping he didn't sound conceited or anything.

"But why wouldn't he ask people to learn for him? Wouldn't it be easier that way? I ain't like he's not speaking on purpose." Bucky then asked him, going back to what Peter had said before. Peter thought about it for a second, not wanting to voice all of Tony's insecurities, but wanting to answer Bucky honestly.

"He already felt like a burden, not being able to talk in the first place, so having to force people to learn a new language just for him? It made him feel even worse. But, I think he's gotten over that, now it makes him feel better, seeing that people care. I was worried coming here, that no one would be able to understand him and it would stress him out, but we got lucky." He said, watching in amazement as Bucky flipped the pancakes over like a pro.

"Lucky how?" he asked, pulling Peter's attention away from the pancakes.

"Oh, well Clint is deaf, I learned, so he already knows sign language. And then you know it, and Thor and Loki have this ability to understand all languages, I think they called it allspeak? And Natasha knows it cause of Clint, and Bruce is learning." Peter said in a grateful tone. He had been surprised at the reaction of the Avengers, in all honesty. He remembered Tony being worried that they all would think he was faking. But all the Avengers they had come into contact with had accepted it without a thought.

"That's good. Stark is a kind man, he deserves to be treated kindly in return." Bucky said, plating the pancakes, and bringing them to the table. Peter smiled brightly at the man's words and followed him into the dining area sitting down next to Tony.

"Hi, Nat." he said, stacking his plate full of pancakes.

"Hello, Peter." she replied, before giving Tony a look. Peter watched in confusion.

"What?" he asked, looking between the two. Tony was avoiding his eyes, focusing on buttering the pancake in front of him, with intense focus. "Dad?"

His dad sighed and put his knife down, before facing him. "Tasha here, seems to think we should join the team dinner tomorrow night." He signed. Peter furrowed his eyebrow in confusion.

"Why? Won't Steve be there? And Wanda? I thought you weren't ready to see them?" Peter asked, worried. Tony was about to respond when Natasha started talking.

"I get that. I don't want to force him to do anything he doesn't feel okay to do. But, you guys are leaving soon, and I think it would be a good idea to just get everything out in the open. We need to get back on better terms." Peter's thoughts clicked, realizing this is what he had overheard earlier.

"And what did you say Dad?" he asked, only worried about Tony's opinion. Tony sat there, staring at his plate. It was several minutes before someone spoke up.

"You know, we will all be there to back you up. I wouldn't let Stevie come near you." Bucky said, almost shyly. Peter smiled at him reassuringly before turning to see Tony's reaction. He looked slightly surprised that Bucky would back him up against his best friend. He nodded a couple of times before he started to sign.

"Okay, fine. But Peter and I have a secret code...for when I want to leave. And I will use it, if Steve starts yelling or Wanda uses her magic. Any of that happens, I'm out." Tony signed, and Natasha nodded in agreement. Peter, however, didn't feel so great about the deal. He was worried, his dad was just starting to heal, he had been broken after Siberia. Peter didn't want this to ruin all of the progress he had made, and he didn't want Steve to hurt Tony anymore than he already had.

"Dad, can I talk to you for a minute, alone?" he asked, standing for Tony to follow him. Tony gave him a strange look, before nodding, following him to the living room.

"What's wrong?" Tony signed, and Peter let out a loud breath.

"Okay, be honest, are you okay with that? Because I have no problem telling Natasha no, if you don't want to." Peter said, and every muscle in Tony's face softened.

"You're such a good kid." Tony signed, pulling Peter into a tight hug. Peter returned the hug, a little confused. When he finally pulled away he continued. "I love you, and I love how you are always worried about me. It means a lot kid. I do think Natasha has a point, and Bucky was right. We have people in our corner, who will make sure everything goes okay." Peter smiled at the declaration of love, but let his face drop at the rest.

"I know that, but what if...what if he hurts you again? You have come so far, and you've been happier. I don't want some stupid dinner to ruin everything you have worked towards." Peter said, a lump forming in his throat. Tony reached up and ran his hand through his hair a couple times.

"I know. I would love to be able to promise you that nothing will happen. But I don't know, I can't know. Tasha is right though, I think getting it all out in the open will be good. That way there is no sides anymore, because we can't afford to be broken up, if something really bad happens." And with that Peter finally understood. Tony may have changed in some ways, but that core belief of his stayed the same. He would sacrifice his own well-being, if it would keep other people safe. And he would sacrifice all of his progress, if it meant that the world would be better off.

So Peter let it go. "Okay, as long as you promise to leave if it gets too much. And remember I can hear your heartbeat." Peter said, warning him feebly. Tony just laughed and ruffled his hair, leading him back into the kitchen. The rest of the morning turned out to be really fun, and Bucky made amazing pancakes.  
\---

"So Tony, Peter told me that you are having dinner with the entire team." Pepper said, later that night at dinner. Peter ducked his head at the look Tony shot him.

"Yeah..." Tony signed, and Pepper raised her perfectly shaped brow at him. He deflated. "I know, you probably think it's a terrible idea huh?" he signed.

"No, not necessarily. I just want to make sure you know what you are doing." Pepper said, softly.

"It's so the world won't suffer if the Avenger's can't get over their issues." Peter spoke up, knowing his dad was about to dodge the truth. Tony looked at him, eyes narrowed. Pepper let out a deep sigh, setting down her silverware.

"I should have known that was the reason. It always is with you, isn't it?" she asked, Tony giving her a meek shrug in reply. "I get that reason, I do, just make sure you are thinking about yourself and your recovery as well. Please." she said, eyes boring into Tony's. Tony gave her a serious nod, before turning his attention to the food.

"I'll make sure he's okay, Pepper." Peter said, quietly. Pepper gave him the warmest smile, and he blushed at the attention.

"Did you tell Rhodey about your plans?" Peter laughed at the panicked face that came across Tony's face at the question.

"No, and he will probably kill me. This isn't funny kid!" Tony signed, glaring at him.

"I don't think Uncle Rhodey would kill you." Peter said, before a voice came filtering in from the hallway.

"Why won't Uncle Rhodey kill Tony? Cause I'd like to know what he did before I decide." Rhodey said, walking into the dining room with a smirk. Peter laughed as Pepper excused herself to go make Rhodey a plate.

"We are going to the team dinner tomorrow." Peter said, ignoring the zipping motion Tony had been making at him. Rhodey raised his eyebrows at the engineer, before thanking Pepper for the plate being set in front of him.

"And why would you do something that stupid, may I ask?" Rhodey asked, in a calm voice.

"Be careful Jim, Peter said the reason is very altruistic." Pepper said, winking at Peter.

"Altruistic? Let me guess, it'll make the world safer?" Rhodey said with a scoff.

"Yes! If we can figure out our crap, then it won't affect the team if something happens!" Tony signed, dramatically, hands moving fast in exaggeration.

"I thought you were done with Ironman?" Rhodey asked, and Peter sat up straighter. He had noticed that Tony had been avoiding all things Ironman, but he had been to afraid to ask why. Tony flashed Rhodey an unreadable look, before sighing.

"That's not the point. I've been avoiding that for...other reasons." He signed, he seemed a little embarrassed, before continuing, "But I want to make sure that nothing gets in the way of us protecting the world the next time something happens. And if that means being a little uncomfortable for a few hours, then so be it." Rhodey watched Tony with a calculating gaze, and Peter was curious what would happen next.

"Tones, you are probably the most caring person I know. But sometimes that care needs to be directed to yourself. Is it worth the distress it might cause you?" he asked somberly.

"I don't know. But I have to try." Tony signed next, eyes pleading. Rhodey nodded his head.

"Alright, Pete. Don't worry your dad won't be murdered tonight. But if you let DUM-E anywhere near my suit again, you might need watch your back." Rhodey said next, diffusing the tension of the moment. Peter laughed as Tony flashed Rhodey a guilty look.

"I told him to be careful!" Tony signed in defense.

"He poured a smoothie into my helmet." Rhodey deadpanned.

"He thought the suit was hungry?" Tony replied, a faux innocent look in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a filler chapter, I know. I wanted to set up the infamous Tony/Steve meeting and answer any questions about Tony and the sign language aspect. But the next one will clearly be more exciting...we will finally see all the Avengers in the same room!
> 
> Let me know what you think will happen, and any interaction you are hoping to see!!
> 
> Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments! Especially those of you who comment on every chapter...you know who you are! You guys are the reason I'm still writing!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> TW: mentions anxiety and panic attacks

Tony was sat on the couch, staring into space, his finger tapping against his knee frantically.

"Hey Dad, you gotta breathe." Peter's voice broke into the fog that filled his brain. He suddenly became aware of the fact that his breathing was shallow. He hated these kinds of panic attacks, he never knew he was having them until after, but they were sometimes easier to snap out of. He took a couple deep breaths, before turning to Peter.

"Sorry, got lost in my head, didn't notice." he signed to an understanding Peter.

"Well, Uncle Rhodey just called me..." Tony nodded for him to continue, he looked nervous, "And he has a dinner meeting he can't get out of, so he can't come to the team dinner." Tony's stomach sank a bit. Rhodey had told him this was a possibility earlier, but he was hoping for a better outcome. "But he told me to tell you, he will be here when we are done. With ice cream." Peter said, with a nervous smile.

"He knows me. Ice cream is my comfort food." Tony signed, letting out a sigh. His nerves had been on high alert all day. He had controlled it pretty well until now, since it was about twenty minutes until they were expected in the common area. He didn't know why he agreed to this, he wasn't ready. His thoughts continued to spiral until Peter spoke up.

"Hey, it's okay Dad, we can always not show up. But, I think it's really brave, what you are doing and why." Peter said, somewhat shyly. Tony looked at him, his anxiety calming slightly.

"Yeah, let's go." Tony said, standing up, placing his signature sunglasses on his face. Pepper had told him he didn't need them, but they made him feel more like his old self. He needed the fake confidence they instilled him with.

"I got few of the earpieces. I figured it would be easier to give them these than me having to interpret the entire time?" Peter asked, seeming like he was asking if what he did was okay. Tony smiled and pulled him closer, while heading to the elevator.

Tony took a few measured breaths before allowing the doors to open. Peter gave his arm one last squeeze, before they exited.

"I'm going to go pass out the earpieces...will you be okay?" Peter asked, silently signing. Tony nodded, and watched as Peter approached Sam, explaining the earpieces. He didn't see Steve or Wanda yet, so he calmed down a bit, when someone shouted his name.

"Anthony. It's very good to see you." Loki said, appearing in front of him. Tony smiled at the god, already feeling more comfortable at the familiar face.

"You too, Reindeer Games." he signed back. Loki rolled his eyes, but gestured for Tony to follow him into the sitting room that connected to the kitchen. Tony noticed the large rectangle table, meant to fit the whole team, noticing small white cards in front of each plate. "Are those...place cards?" Tony signed to Loki. Loki looked amused and annoyed at the same time.

"Yes, the archer seemed to think it was necessary to have seating assignments. Something about making everyone comfortable." Loki said, and Tony snorted as the man in question came to greet them.

"Tony!! Look I made place cards! You are in between Pete and Loki. Loki insisted, I think he likes you." Clint said, talking and signing at the same time, giving Tony a wink. Tony felt his heart swell at the effort they were putting in to help him.

"Thanks Big Bird. I appreciate it. Why don't you show me your handiwork?" Tony then signed, causing Clint to laugh and lead him to the table. Loki was at one head of the table, Tony to his right, Peter next to him. Across from Tony was Clint ("In case I need to help interpret." he had explained.) and across from Peter was Natasha. Tony assumed to act as a protective barrier, along with Bucky who was next to her. Sam was then the person between Bucky and Steve, who was next to Vision, who would occupy the other head of the table. Next to Vision was Wanda of course, then Bruce, and then Thor next to Peter.

It didn't escape Tony, that the others he had been around more had somewhat created a safety net around him and Peter. And he couldn't be more grateful.

"Place settings?! Cool! Look, Mr. Stark we are next to each other!" Peter then chimed in, keeping the cover of his intern like they had discussed. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Why are you so surprised?" A new voice joined them, Bucky was looking at Peter with an exasperated expression. Peter ducked his head in embarrassment, before responding.

"Hey, I'm just overly excited. Don't tease me, I know where you live." Peter threatened, pointing at the assassin in a joking manner. Bucky snorted, before ruffling his hair and turning to Tony.

"This seating okay? We just wanted to make sure there was enough buffer between everyone." Bucky said quietly to him, as the others continued to verbally spar with Peter, who looked like he was having the time of his life.

"Yeah, Bucky. It's great, thank you." he signed, and Bucky nodded his head in response.

"Good, now I gotta go help finish the food." he said, ducking away from the group and heading to the kitchen. Tony was left on his own for a second before Natasha approached him.

"How are you feeling Tony?" she asked, voice calm and collected.

"I'm...dealing. I just hope nothing happens. I don't want to put Peter through anything else, he's seen enough." Tony signed, his face twisted in displeasure. Natasha shook her head in disagreement.

"I'm sure it will be okay. All of us are here for you to make sure of that. But you are wrong about Peter. He loves you, and he doesn't care one bit about anything. He wants to be there for you and help you, so don't worry about him. Worry about you." Natasha says, giving his arm a squeeze. Tony knows the words are true, but that doesn't change his feelings. He never wants to feel like a burden to Peter, he doesn't want to chase him away.

"I keep hearing that from people. To worry about myself, that's not my style." Tony signed next, and Natasha sent him a smirk.

"Well, if you keep hearing it, maybe you should listen." She finished with a wink, guiding him to his seat at the table.

"Okay, dinner is ready!" Sam announced as he started carrying dishes out into the dining room, followed by Bucky and Clint. Peter hurried to his side, sitting down.

"You ready?" he signed quietly, "I gave everyone the earpiece so..." Tony nodded jerkily.

"I don't know if I'm ready, but..." he signed, but cut himself off, as he sensed some new presences in the room. Peter looked at him worriedly.

All of the people he had made amends with were already at the table. But the few he hadn't, had just all arrived. Sam was finishing setting the food out, Wanda and Vision had just sat at the table quietly, and Steve was standing in the entrance eyes on Tony.

"Come sit, Captain, we can start eating." Thor bellowed from beside Peter, saving Tony from having to do anything. Steve spluttered for a second before sitting in his seat, and everyone took that as their cue to start passing the food around the table. It was silent for a moment, as everyone focused on passing the food around. It seemed to be an array of Italian food, Tony's favorite, and he's sure Clint and Natasha had something to do with that.

"So, Pete, how's the internship going?" Clint asked, winking at the kid across the table. Peter looked like a deer caught in headlights for a moment, before responding.

"Oh well, it's going good. D-Mr. Stark has been teaching me a lot of cool things. He even let me work on his repulsor the other day." Peter said, and Tony felt more at ease listening to Peter prattle on about science.

"And you understand how it works?" Bruce piped in, slightly surprised. Peter nodded.

"Yeah! I mean I needed a little help at first, but once he explained it, I understood it better." Tony, smiled at him with pride.

"He's a smart one Brucie. You should have him help you with some of your stuff. He's way better at the squishy science." Tony signed at Bruce. He took a moment to understand Tony's signs, he told Tony he was learning still, before he answered.

"Chemistry and Biology aren't squishy sciences, Tony." Bruce responded exasperated. Tony winked at him, and was about to respond when a sharp voice interrupted.

"Are we seriously just going to believe that Stark can't talk? He's faking, and we shouldn't be encouraging it." Wanda said, venom in her voice. Tony's heart dropped, and his breathing picked up a little speed. He was a fool to think this dinner could possibly go off without any problems.

"Wanda." Natasha said, her voice warning.

"No Nat, I want to know why we are pretending like this is normal. There's nothing wrong with that man, his life is perfect. He has no right to pretend otherwise." she replied bitterly, Tony watched as Natasha's eyes flashed with fury. Tony shook his head when she looked his way, he didn't want to start a fight. She looked like she wanted to argue, but nodded, not speaking again.

"I can assure you he is not faking it, and I would appreciate if you would hold your tongue." Loki spoke up next, calmly. Wanda looked like she was about to start shouting, and Tony decided he needed to address the problem before she could.

"Everyone have their translator?" he signed, waiting for Steve and Sam to nod, Wanda also nodding with a scoff. "I won't argue with the fact that I seem to have the perfect life. Keyword seem. I know that you are angry about what happened with your parents, but that wasn't my fault, and you can accuse me all you want. But don't accuse me of faking a condition that keeps me from speaking to the people I care about." Tony signed, his heart beating in his chest. Peter squeezed his shoulder in a silent question, he wanted to know if Tony wanted to leave.

He shook his head minutely, and focused his attention back on his food, trying to keep his breathing under control. The room was silent for a few moments, everyone eating, glancing between him and Wanda. Tony thought everything would deescalate, until he saw red wisps in the corner of his eye. He flinched violently, squeezing Peter's arm. Peter stood up, bringing Tony with him, and standing between him and the table.

"If you even attempt to use that magic I will be forced to retaliate." Peter said, in a voice so cold and dangerous that Tony had trouble believing it came out of his son. He kept his focus on his breathing and Peter's hand on his arm, when Wanda scoffed. Everyone else just watched frozen, either from shock or magic, Tony wasn't sure.

"What could a puny kid like you do?" Wanda asked, red tendrils coming closer. Peter tensed and Tony could see him activating his web shooter discretely.

"Would you like to find out?" Peter spit out, before everyone finally started to react. Natasha pulled her gun and aimed it at Wanda, Clint flanking her with a dangerous look on his face. Bucky was standing, looking murderous, the only thing keeping him back was the arm on his shoulder that belonged to Sam. Steve looked alarmed, but still shocked, sharing that expression with Bruce, who seemed a little green. Thor was still seated, but sparks of lightning were shooting from his fingers.

Loki was the next to move, a green flash of light illuminated the room, and suddenly Wanda's own red was engulfed and then disappeared.

"What did you do?!" She growled, looking at Loki. Loki simply shrugged looking bored.

"You threatened my friend Anthony, so I took care of it. You should regain your abilities again in a few hours. Now Vision, can you please escort Miss Maximoff out of here, I believe it would be for the best." Loki said, and Vision nodded standing up and ushering Wanda out of the room, but before he succeeded she said one more thing.

"Steve, you know I'm right." And with that she was out of the room. It took a moment but everyone snapped out of their defensive stances before sitting back down. Tony however, still frozen, remained standing, hand still clutching Peter's arm.

"Hey, do you want to go?" Peter asked him quietly. He felt his legs shaking, not sure how much longer he would be able to stay upright. He signed for Peter to guide him to the couch, and Peter quickly obliged. Once he was sitting, and not in risk of falling, his breathing sped up. It took all his willpower to control his breaths and not spiral into a panic attack, but somehow he did it. 

"Hey, you okay?" Peter asked quietly, Tony nodded. He looked up and took in his surroundings. Clint and Natasha were hovering a few feet away, Bruce was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Thor. Loki was watching him from across the room, behind him was Sam and Steve. Bucky was keeping the two of them back with his metal arm, concern all over his face.

"Where's Bruce? And Thor?" Tony signed to Peter, who then looked sheepish. Bucky spoke up before he could.

"Bruce had to go to the Hulk room, Thor went with him to calm him down. You sure your okay Tony?" He asked, concern lacing his tone. He could see Steve's look of confusion at the care in his voice. Tony felt guilt bubbling in his stomach at the thought of Bruce Hulking out over him.

"Hey, I know that look. It's not your fault. Apparently the Hulk is very protective of you and wanted to protect you." Clint said, looking at him with the same level of concern as the others. Tony nodded, unsure of how to proceed.

"Sorry, for ruining dinner. I didn't want anything to happen, but I see my presence probably wasn't the best idea." Tony signed, and when he heard the voice that responded, he barely hid his flinch.

"Tony, it's okay, we all wanted you there. Wanda was out of line." Steve's voice broke the silence. Tony wasn't sure what to do. Steve...wasn't defending Wanda? He was confused, and it must have showed because he spoke up again.

"Tony, none of us think you are faking. And we all, me especially, have wanted to fix things with the team. I was hoping tonight would do that, I didn't know she would react like that. Are...are you okay?" Tony looked up at Steve's words. He studied the man in front of him, trying to see if there was any sign of dishonesty. But he found nothing but sheepish concern. Tony took a deep breath, and Peter squeezed his hand in support.

"I could be better. But, this isn't the worst reaction I've had so I'm good." Tony signed, feeling bad when he saw guilt flash in Natasha's eyes before she could mask it.

"Well, why don't I pack up all your favorites for you and Peter? You guys can go back to your floor, finish your dinner there? We can always talk another time." Steve then said, and Tony felt grateful. He had been wanting to leave, but didn't want to disappoint anyone. He nodded.

"Thank you." Tony said, sending Steve a look he hoped conveyed the gratefulness he felt. Steve just gave him a nod and a small smile, heading to the kitchen. Natasha knelt in front of Tony, and squeezed the hand that wasn't in Peter's.

"Let me know if you need anything yeah?" she asked quietly. Tony nodded. She looked pleased and stood up, surprising him with a kiss to his forehead before she left the room. Clint was the next to address them.

"If you are up to it, I'll come by tomorrow. We can play that new game I bought?" He said, addressing both Tony and Peter.

"If Mr. Stark is up to it, then I'm in." Peter replied, looking to Tony for confirmation. He nodded, sending them both a weak smile. He wasn't feeling too bad, but his anxiety was bubbling just under the surface, and it was taking all his power to keep it there.

"Anthony, I have put a protection spell over your floor, no magic can get through. And the Sergeant here will keep watch." Loki then spoke up, a gentle smile looking out of place on his face. Bucky was behind him, nodding his agreement.

"Thank you, really thank you." Tony signed, and soon they were alone. Peter leaned into his shoulder, grounding him.

"You're okay right?" he heard the boy's small voice ask. Tony's heart clenched at the thought that he worried Peter, again.

"Yeah, nothing a night with my favorite kid can't fix." he signed, heart relaxing at the bright smile the boy directed at him.

"Here you go, Tony. I packed a lot, so you should have enough for the both of you." Steve said, coming back into the room, preparing to hand Tony the containers.

"He doesn't like to be handed things. I'll take it!" Peter said kindly, grabbing the containers from Steve, who looked embarrassed.

"Right, forgot. Sorry. Whenever your ready to talk...let me know?" he said next. Tony made to stand, Peter having to help steady him a bit, while he nodded to the man in front of him. After that they headed to the elevator. Once they were back in their living room, food spread out, and a children's movie playing on the screen, he finally felt himself calm down.  
\---

He didn't realize that he had dozed off until the sound of the elevator made him startle awake. Peter gave him a glance, he was sitting next to him, stuffing his face with food, attention turning back to the movie.

"Tones, I heard what happened. Are you okay?" Rhodey said, walking in with a few bags in his hands.

"Yeah, I'm good. I was a little shaken up, but I'm okay." Tony said, honestly. Rhodey seemed to accept this answer, taking a seat next to him, placing the bags on the table.

"I passed a very angry looking Bucky standing guard at your elevator." Rhodey said next, starting to unpack the multiple tubs of ice cream he had brought. Tony was surprised at the statement. He knew they said Bucky would keep watch, but he didn't know they meant literally. He felt warm inside at the protectiveness of his new friend.

"Hmm, and he let you up? I should fire him." Tony signed, and Rhodey snorted.

"I would be kinder to the man who brought you ice cream." Rhodey responded, handing him a carton of his favorite flavor. Tony gave him a dopey smile, before digging into his dessert, already feeling a lot better with his best friend next to him.

"Here, Pete. I got your favorite." Rhodey said, handing Peter a carton of mint chip. Peter looked between the carton and Rhodey in surprise.

"You remembered my favorite flavor of ice cream?" he asked in disbelief. Rhodey gave Tony a look that said, 'this kid is exactly like you', before he responded.

"'Course I did, Pete. Your my favorite nephew. Speaking of, my mom is worried about you Tony, can you video call her soon?" Tony smiled at the though of Mama Rhodes, and nodded. When he looked at Peter, he saw Peter smiling softly into his ice cream. Peter was so much like him, always unsure that people actually cared about him, so Tony made it his goal that Peter never doubted his feelings. He reached out and ruffled his kids hair, earning the most endearing smile from his son.

Maybe Wanda was right in some ways, he had a pretty great life. But it wasn't always like that, he had to lose a whole lot to get to this point, including his own voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! And what you might want to see happen next!
> 
> I am also moving back to college this weekend, and I start classes next week! Hopefully I will be able to keep up pretty frequent updates on this story, but if I take longer you'll know why!!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to get in some chapters before my life gets super crazy with college! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! And please keep the comments coming! They keep me writing!
> 
> I love you guys!
> 
> Enjoy!

"May called. She said she'd be home on Saturday." Peter said, entering the lab where his dad was bent over his worktable. He turned around at the sound of Peter's voice.

"Okay, so we will head home Saturday too. That means we have two days until we leave. Anything you wanna do?" Tony signed, looking at him curiously.

"Just hang out with you. I'll miss being around you all the time when I have to go back to May's." Peter said, shyly. He was a little embarrassed, but he had been enjoying being around his dad constantly. And it was going to be hard to go back to only seeing him a couple times a week.

"Hey, you'll still see me. Maybe we can work something out with May so you can come over more? How does that sound?" Tony signed to him, standing up to envelop him in a hug. Peter nodded into his shoulder, and they stood like that for a couple minutes, both of them basking in the comfort the hug provided.

"Boss, Mr. Rogers is inquiring about your well-being. Would you like me to respond?" FRIDAY's voice rang out then, and Tony pulled away, looking curiously at the camera in the corner.

"What did he ask exactly?" Tony signed, and Peter watched his reactions carefully. Usually his dad would panic at the mention of Steve, but he looked fine at the moment.

"He asked if you were feeling better after the events of last night. He seems worried." FRIDAY replied, and Peter watched as Tony's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Tell him...tell him I'm good. And that I appreciate the concern." Tony signed, still looking surprised. FRIDAY was then silent, probably due to carrying out his request.

"Huh, I didn't expect to hear from Steve today." Tony signed, heading over to the couch in the corner of his lab. Peter followed him.

"Yeah, me neither. Are you okay with it?" He asked, sitting down next to his dad. Tony looked pensive for a moment.

"I think so...I don't feel any panic if that's what you're asking." he signed. It was Peter's turn to be surprised.

"Wow...that's good. Are you ready to face him do you think?" he asked, hoping he wasn't crossing a line. Tony played with the screwdriver he still had in his hand, eyes following DUM-E as he made a smoothie, stuck in his thoughts. Peter waited silently, knowing that Tony would speak when he was ready. After a couple of minutes, his patience paid off.

"I think I might be. Would you be with me when I do though, just in case?" he signed, and Peter was taken off guard for a second. Tony wanted him there? Why?

"Yeah, I will if you want me to be. Why though?" he asked, and Tony looked at him as though he had said something dumb.

"You make me feel more comfortable. And just in case it all goes south, you are the best at calming me down." Tony signed, as if it was obvious. Peter gaped at him.

"Really?" he asked, and Tony rolled his eyes but nodded. "Cool, so...when are you going to do it?"

"Maybe I should do it now? What do you think? I'm feeling pretty good about it, maybe I should just get it over with." Peter's eyes widened. But then he wasn't too surprised, Tony could be impulsive when he wanted to be.

"I mean I guess...why not? I'll be here in case anything happens." Peter said, hoping he was projecting confidence. Tony nodded at him, before signing to FRIDAY.

"FRI, tell Steve to come down to the lab...and to bring Bucky...if he wants." Peter raised an eyebrow in question, "It might help to have someone who is on both sides...just in case." Peter nodded, both of them falling silent as they waited for their guests.

Soon they heard the whoosh of the lab doors opening, and two sets of super solider footsteps. They stood up, watching as the two men approached them.

"Hey, Tony. FRI said you wanted to talk?" Bucky chose to speak first.

"Yeah, Pete give Steve an earpiece." Peter nodded, rushing over to the the worktable on the other side of the room, and bringing back a translator earpiece, handing it to Steve. Steve thanked him quietly, placing it in his ear.

"So, can I start?" Steve then asked, surprising everyone in the room. Tony nodded for him to continue. He still looked fine to Peter, and he hoped after hearing what Steve had to say, it would still be that way.

"I wanted to start by apologizing for what happened with the Accords. I should have listened to you, heard you out, instead of ignoring you and going off on my own." Tony held his hand up, stopping Steve.

"I'm going to stop you there. I didn't call you down here to talk about the Accords. You already told me how you felt about it, in that lovely letter you sent me. Where you apologized without apologizing? You remember that?" Tony signed, and Peter noticed that he seemed more irritated than upset. He looked at Steve, and he looked both guilty and annoyed at the same time.

"Yes, I'm sorry about that. I hadn't given myself enough time to...process everything. I have had more time to think about it, and I realize that I was wrong to send that. It was petty. I was wrong about the Accords...and I was wrong to hide what I knew from you. About your parents. I should have told you, but I had convinced myself I was saving you from unnecessary grief."

"Yeah, but then you continued to use my resources to look for the guy who murdered my parents? Sorry Bucky." Tony signed then, looking at Bucky apologetically. Bucky waved him off.

"We've already worked that out between us, this is between you and Steve." he said, looking at them both pointedly.

"I know. I should have told you when I found out. And I definitely should have told you when I found out he was alive, and I'm sorry. I had no right to hide that from you." Steve said, and Tony watched the man for a moment before responding.

"Okay. Thank you for apologizing. But what about Siberia? I thought we were friends, and yet you left me for dead?" Tony signed, looking upset. Peter tuned into his heartbeat, and it was beating faster than he would like, but he didn't think it had reached panic attack levels yet. Steve's face turned a dangerous shade of white.

"That...I regret most of all. I shouldn't have attacked you. I was worried that you were going to hurt Bucky...and I wasn't thinking straight. I am so sorry Tony." he said then. Tony nodded, but didn't respond. Peter looked between the two, worried about what was going to happen. Bucky seemed apprehensive as well, his eyes trained on the genius in front of him.

"Okay. Thank you for the apology. While we are at it, I am also sorry for fighting back and attacking Bucky. I think it will take a while for us to be completely okay. You always berated me about keeping Ultron a secret, while you were keeping the biggest secret from me. Then you hurt me, physically and emotionally. You took my family away from me." Tony signed pausing to take a deep breath. "I'm going to try my best to forgive you Cap. I'm not mad at you anymore, I just need time." he finished.

"I can give you that. Thank you, Tony." Steve said, sadness in his voice. Tony gave him a strained smile before walking to the other side of the lab, and Steve took that as his cue to leave. Bucky lingered for a moment.

"Take care of him would you?" he asked Peter quietly. He nodded, and Bucky followed after Steve.

"Dad?" he asked hesitantly, approaching the man slowly.

"I'm okay, kid. That...it was hard. But I think...I think I'm good." Tony signed, still not looking at Peter, eyes focused on the project schematic in front of him. Peter followed his gaze and saw the project he had walked in on Tony working on. It was a schematic for a nano-tech suit.

"You're working on a suit again?" Peter asked, in awe. Tony nodded, a little jerkily.

"Yeah, I um...thought maybe it was time." Tony signed, hands shaking slightly.

"That's great Dad, are you okay though?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, just thinking through what just happened. Why don't we go and watch a movie?" Tony signed then, and Peter nodded, knowing Tony needed some time to sort through his emotions. His job was to just make sure he was there if Tony needed him.  
\---

Two days later, Peter and Tony were getting ready to leave to head back to the city.

"You got everything Pete?" Tony signed to him, after banging on the table several times to finally get his attention.

"Yeah! Where's all of your stuff?" Peter asked, noticing he was the one with the bags and Tony had none.

"I live in both places...I don't need to pack back and forth." Tony signed, and Peter laughed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Peter said, earning a smile from Tony.

"Boss, Happy has arrived. And may I warn you that the Avengers have gathered in the garage to say goodbye." Peter snapped his head up to Tony's in surprise. Tony just rolled his eyes playfully.

"I should take out a restraining order at this point." Tony signed, jokingly. Peter shook his head and grabbed his bags, following Tony to the elevator. When the doors opened, all the Avengers, except Wanda, were gathered talking among themselves.

"Tony, Peter! Are you sure you guys have to leave?" Clint said, noticing them first.

"Sorry Katniss, we have a life outside of the compound. Time to get back to it." Tony signed, and Peter watched as Clint deflated a little.

"Fine. I guess. But come visit okay? And bring Peter!" he replied, pulling Peter into a side hug, which he happily returned.

"So you only like me for Peter?" Tony signed, faking offense. Clint just nodded, before pulling Tony into a hug as well, whispering something in his ear that Peter didn't listen to. They clapped each other on the back one last time, and Clint headed back to the elevator, sending Peter a wave. He waved back, before the next person approached them.

"Tony, please come visit. We will miss having you around. You and Peter." Natasha said to Tony. He nodded, giving her a hug. "And I'm still sorry for everything I've done." she whispered quietly as they pulled apart. Tony waved her off, with a friendly wink. She rolled her eyes, before she approached Peter.

"I'll miss you small spider. Keep up with the exercises I taught you okay?" Peter nodded, feeling his heart constrict. He was going to miss everyone. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, before she too disappeared.

"Anthony!" Loki, Thor and Bruce were the next to approach. "I do believe you promised a place to stay if we ever came to the city."

"Yep. You guys aren't on house arrest like the rest of these losers, so if you ever want to come visit, you have a place. I'm sure Peter would enjoy that." Tony signed, and Loki fixed him with an amused look.

"Yes, I'm sure Peter would be pleased. Goodbye Anthony, Peter. I wish you well." Loki said.

"I will miss our many adventures, Man of Iron and Little Stark." Thor then bellowed, crushing Peter and Tony in a tight hug. Peter laughed.

"I'll miss you both too! Please come visit!" Peter said, and they both nodded before heading away, leaving Bruce.

"Come by anytime, I miss my science-bro." Tony signed to Bruce.

"Of course. I will be by soon, promise. I want to study more of those webs you guys created." Peter's eyes widened a bit at that. Bruce gave them both a handshake before leaving. Peter looked around at who was left, Bucky, Sam and Steve were standing a few feet away, but surprisingly Vision was the one walking up to them. He focused his attention on Tony.

"Sir, I apologize that I haven't gotten to know Peter very well. I do hope you can forgive me for not being around." he said. Tony signed something else that Peter didn't watch, wanting to give them privacy, causing him to walk over to the other group of people.

"Hey Bucky, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Wilson." he greeted, shyly. He was only really comfortable with Bucky.

"Hey kid. It's gonna be weird not seeing you _hanging_ around." Bucky said with a wink. Peter shot him a glare, confusing the other two men.

"Shut up, or I'll tell everyone that thing you told me." Peter warned, and Bucky nodded, eyes wide.

"Peter, we never got a real chance to meet. I'm Sam." Sam said, holding out his hand. Peter shook it.

"It was nice to meet you Sam, Steve." He said, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Come on Peter, I'll help you with your stuff." Happy piped in coming up from behind the three men, saving Peter from anymore awkward silence. He gave Bucky a hug before going with Happy to the car. He sat in the car, watching as Tony approached the three men.

He leaned in giving Bucky a hug, with a smirk on his face. He shook hands with Sam, and then those two left, leaving Tony and Steve alone. Steve said a few things, and Tony smiled. He shook his hand, and they both left with smiles on their faces, Steve back to the compound and Tony to join him in the car.

"What did Steve have to say?" Peter asked him. Tony looked at him, smiling softly.

"He apologized again, and said if I ever needed help to call him." Peter nodded. And they both sat silently for the first part of the car ride. Then Peter leaned up against Tony's shoulder, and Tony started playing with his hair. Soon he was dozing off in the back of the car, Tony's head resting on top of his.  
\---

Peter woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. He blinked his eyes a couple times before he realized where he was. His eyes fell on Tony, who started signing.

"We're at the Tower, May is waiting for us in the penthouse." Peter sat up quickly, excited to finally see his aunt. Tony smiled at him, helping him out of the car.

"I'll take care of the bags boss, I think Peter might explode if you don't get inside." Happy said, with a laugh. Peter sent him a half-hearted glare, before grabbing Tony's arm and ushering him into the building.

"May!" Peter shouted, as the elevators opened on the penthouse floor.

"Hey baby!" May called back, pulling Peter into a fierce hug.

"I missed you." Peter mumbled into her shoulder. He heard Tony leave the room behind him, and May just squeezed him tighter.

"I missed you too. Did you have a good time at the compound?" she asked, finally pulling away.

"Yeah! It was so much fun! I met all the Avengers, and I learned a lot of cool stuff in training! Dad and I hung out a lot too." Peter said enthusiastically, leading May to the living room. Tony was sitting in one of the chairs answering emails on the hologram in front of him.

"Did you take care of my kid Stark?" May asked, her and Peter sitting down on the couch closest to him. Tony looked up quickly.

"Of course. I tried my best." Tony signed, and May nodded her approval. "And how was your stay at the compound? I heard there were a few bumps in the road?" Tony looked surprised at her concern.

"Uh, yeah. Panic attacks, a flashback, some nightmares. Nothing new." Tony signed, looking slightly uncomfortable, but trying to play it off with humor.

"Just because they happen a lot doesn't mean they hurt less. Are you sure you're okay?" she said, and Peter smiled at his aunt. Just a few months ago she hated Tony, now she cared about him almost as much as Peter. She had even learned sign language over the past couple months to keep up with him.

"Yeah. Peter helped a lot." Tony signed, flashing Peter a smile. May looked at him with pride, before her face turned pensive.

"Hey Pete, can you give me and Tony a minute? I just have something I want to talk to him about." Peter looked at her curiously before looking at his dad. Tony nodded, and he got up to leave the room.

"No listening Pete." May called.

"Okay, Aunt May!" he called over his shoulder, and headed to his room. He was really curious as to what they could possibly be talking about, but he willed himself not to listen in. He sat on his bed and stared at the ceiling. After about ten minutes there was a knock on his door.

"Can we come in?" May asked, opening the door a crack to reveal her and Tony. Peter nodded and they came into the room. May sat down at his desk, and Tony went straight to the bean bag chair in the corner. May snorted in amusement when she saw him, and he just shrugged innocently.

"It's comfy." he defended. May nodded with a smirk before turning her attention to Peter.

"I know it's summer, and I told you that you could spend as much time here as you wanted, seeing as I am always at work. But I wanted to discuss with you and Tony the arrangement for once school started again." Peter looked between the two of them curiously. Tony was making a point to avoid his gaze, his eyes fixated on the ceiling above him. Peter narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Okay you guys are weirding me out. Can you get to the point?" Peter said, trying not to sound rude. But by the chastising look May sent him, he didn't succeed.

"Okay, so I was thinking that since Happy already drives you everywhere, and he wouldn't mind taking you to school everyday. And the tower is closer to my hospital..." Peter's eyes widened as May trailed off.

"Are you saying we are moving to the Tower?!" Peter asked then.

"Way to ruin my big reveal. Yeah, me and Tony talked about it. I think its the best way for you to be able to spend time with both of us. And Tony brought up a good point that it is safer for us, with you being Spider-Man and everything. I already told him we'd be paying rent, and we are not staying for charity." She explained, and Peter kept nodding, too excited to do anything else.

"This is the best day ever! Thank you so much May!" He exclaimed, jumping into her arms. She squeezed him tight.

"Of course. Now why don't we all head to the apartment? We got some packing to do." May said, standing up. Peter nodded, and May left the room. Peter rushed to give Tony a hug as well.

"This is great. Thanks Dad." he said quietly.

"Of course. I love having you around, so this is purely selfish." Tony signed with a wink when they pulled apart. "Now let's go before Scary Aunt gets impatient." he signed then with a grimace. Peter let out a loud laugh and followed him out of the room.

First he got Ironman as a dad, then he got to meet the Avengers, and now he was going to get to live at Stark Tower? He couldn't believe how great his life was going, and he hoped it would stay that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was good? Yeah? 
> 
> Leave a comment on what you thought! I have some ideas for some angst coming up...but I want to fill it with fluff first so if you have anything you want to see leave a comment!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!
> 
> Thanks for all the feedback on the last chapter!
> 
> TW: self deprecating thoughts

Tony was having a bad day. And not in terms of his PTSD or anxiety. But because he was beyond frustrated and angry at himself. He had been playing and replaying the words Clint had whispered to him as they said goodbye.

"You're a good dad, Tony."

Now normally he should be thrilled at something like this. He had long accepted that Peter saw him as a dad, despite his better judgement, he had taken on that roll. But what kind of Dad was he, that he couldn't even talk to his son? He couldn't tell Peter that he loved him, or that he was proud of him, not in his own words. He wanted to break the cycle of shame that his father started, but how was he supposed to do that when he couldn't vocally praise his son?

He had made amends with the Avengers. He had forgiven most of them, and was on track to forgive the others. So why couldn't he talk? He spent late nights in his lab, alone, trying to force words out of his mouth. But that mental block was still present. And he hated it. He thought he had gotten over whatever stupid trauma had caused this. He faced Steve. He told Steve how he felt, he was working on forgiving him. He had forgiven Natasha of her betrayal, Clint for his harsh words, and even Bucky for the murder of his parents.

So what was stopping him? Why didn't he have his voice back. He hurled the wrench he was holding across the room in anger. But not even the satisfying sound of something breaking could ease the fiery knot in his stomach. He watched in anger as DUM-E and U rushed over to inspect the damage. While Butterfingers was trying to bring Tony a new wrench. And he knew it was a bad day, when the sight of his bots wasn't even endearing in the slightest.

He was glaring at the research in front of him, when he heard the familiar whoosh of his lab doors opening. He tensed, hoping it wasn't Peter who would catch him in this foul mood.

"Tony?" he relaxed at the sound of Pepper's soft voice. She had finally gone back to working at her office full time, and he must have been in here for a while, if she was already home. He turned to face her, not bothering to school his expression into anything but the self loathing that was written all over it.

"Hey, what's wrong? Peter said you've been hiding in here all day. He said you seemed off, so he wanted to give you your space...are you okay?" She asked, concern filling her eyes. She came over and stood in front of his sitting figure. He rested his head on her stomach for a moment, basking in her scent, one that meant comfort and safety. She silently started running her hands through his hair. After a couple more minutes, he pulled himself together enough to pull away.

"Honey, what's wrong?" she asked, voice no more than a whisper. He let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm just...angry at myself." Tony signed, he had thought briefly about making something up. But if he didn't get this off his chest it would eat him up inside. Her eyebrows crinkled in confusion, looking around the lab, seeing the mess he had made in his fit of anger.

"Okay...and may I ask why?" She asked calmly, hands still running through his hair gently. He looked away, working his jaw a couple times, before responding.

"I went through all that shit at the compound, forgiving them, letting them back in. And what do I have to show for it? Nothing! My voice is still gone! I can't tell you I love you, and I can't..." He worked himself up, unable to continue signing, his anger making his hands shake violently.

"Can't what?" she asked, after a couple minutes of tense silence on his part.

"I can't stop myself from becoming my dad." he signed, anger leaking out of his body, replaced by defeat. Pepper let a small, almost inaudible gasp escape.

"Tony. What are you even talking about? You are nothing like Howard. Where in the world did you get that idea?" she asked, her voice coming out in complete disbelief. Like everything she was hearing wasn't true. But he knew it was.

"My dad never told me he loved me, or that he was proud of me. And here I am doing the same thing to Peter." he signed, self hatred bubbling inside him. Pepper's eyes held a mix of sadness and disbelief.

"I love you Tony, but that is the stupidest thing you have ever said." She said. It was so blunt, it shocked Tony out of his mental pity party, he looked up at her incredulously. "No, I'm serious. You tell Peter you love him and that you're proud of him all the time. And don't give me that look. You don't need words to show him that you love him. You show him with your actions Tony. And I'm sure if Peter was down here, he would be offended you even thought this way." her voice was stern.

Tony sat there silently for a second. Trying to run her words through his mind, to see if there was any semblance of truth within them. He must have taken too long, because she let out an impatient sigh.

"I came down here to get you, Peter wants to have dinner ready for when May gets home. You are going to come with me and you are going to help. And you look in that boy's eyes and try and convince me I'm wrong." Pepper said, hauling him up by his arm, and leading him out the door and to the elevator. Tony was so stunned, that by the time he thought about fighting back, the doors had already opened revealing him to the spider in question.

"Dad! Finally! I need you're help. I found this really cool recipe I think May will love, but I have no clue how to cook." Peter said, rushing over to him and giving him a hug as he rambled. Pepper sent him a look that pretty much screamed 'I told you so', and he glared at her, though there was no actual heat behind it. Peter pulled away and looked between the two curiously.

"Dad, why are you glaring at Pepper?" he asked, eyebrows drawn down in confusion. And Tony couldn't help but reach out and ruffle his hair, all thoughts of earlier flying out of his mind for the moment.

"Oh nothing sweetheart. Your father tried to convince me I was wrong about something, and obviously I wasn't." Pepper said smugly, and Tony rolled his eyes. Peter just looked even more confused.

"O-ookay. You guys are weird. But whatever. So will you help me Dad?" Peter said, changing the subject. Tony nodded with a soft smile and Peter beamed at him, dragging him to the kitchen.

Over the next hour he helped Peter prepare dinner, and Pepper made it a point to hover. And every single time Tony told Peter, however frustratingly silent it was, that he was doing a good job, and every time Peter beamed at a compliment, she would send him a pointed look. He wanted to accept this proof, but there was a nagging in the back of his mind, that prevented him from doing so.

"Honey! I'm home!" they all turned at once to the new voice drifting from the elevators.

"May!" Peter shouted, rushing over to meet his aunt. They hugged and greeted each other, in a way that only close family could, before they reached the kitchen again.

"Look! Dad and I made dinner!" Peter exclaimed, sounding so young in that moment, it made Tony's heart clench. May looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"I didn't know you could cook, Tony." she said, and he just shrugged in response. She seemed to sense something was up with him, because her eyes narrowed quickly, so quickly he almost missed it.

"Well, it smells delicious. What do you say we all sit down and eat?" May suggested, eyeing Tony one last time, while Peter nodded in excitement. Pepper and Peter headed straight to the dining room, while May lingered behind with Tony.

"Something's wrong. We are going to talk about it after dinner, but for now are you okay?" May signed, as to avoid the nosy spider in the next room. Tony nodded, anxiety peaking a bit at being read so easily. She nodded, squeezing his shoulder before following the others into the dining room. Tony took a minute to pull himself together, before joining them himself.

They sat in silence for a good part of the meal, all of them too busy enjoying their meal to say anything. Until May broke the silence.

"So, Pete. How was your day?" May asked, and Peter sat up straighter, seemingly happy to be asked that question.

"It was good! I video chatted with Ned for a couple hours. He was showing me all the Lego kits he's gotten. Can I go over to his house sometime to help him build them?" he asked then, looking between both May and Tony. Which took Tony off guard, because he was asking him permission?

"That's good with me. Tony?" May said, turning to him. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before he shook it off, plastering on what he hoped to be a believable smile.

"Of course kid. Either Happy or I can take you." Tony signed, something easing in his chest at the thankful smile Peter sent both of them. They settled back into a comfortable silence, May or Pepper occasionally starting up light conversation. And as much as Tony tried to shake off the thoughts from earlier, they kept trying to creep back.

"That was lovely. You guys did a great job. Peter, do you mind helping me with the dishes?" Pepper spoke up when they were all finished.

"Of course!" Peter said, rushing to help Pepper gather all of the dishes from the table and they headed to the kitchen.

"Let's go to the lab." May signed, and Tony nodded, seeing no way to avoid whatever conversation was about to happen.

When they got down there, May walked around, taking in everything she was seeing. He realized this was the first time she had been down there. His bots all rushed over at the sight of someone new, and soon May was bombarded by metal claws, and melodic beeps.

"Are these the bots Peter is always telling me about? That have the funny names?" She asked, turning to him, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Yeah. DUM-E, U, and Butterfingers. Guys this is Peter's aunt." Tony signed, introducing them. He had spent weeks trying to figure out how to make sure his bots could understand his signs, and he was glad he did.

"Well it's lovely to meet you." May directed to the bots, patting them each gently. Tony smiled.

"Okay, now that I've met your robotic children," Tony rolled his eyes, a slight smile on his face, "Let's talk." She finished, leading him over to the couch in the corner. Tony followed, hesitantly.

"What would you like to discuss Aunt May?" Tony signed, trying to exude confidence. She raised her eyebrows at him, before continuing.

"I could sense something was up with you when I got home. Call it parent's intuition. You may have had Peter fooled, but not me. What's up?" May said, getting straight to the point.

"I was...having a rough day. Not in that sense. But uh...I was frustrated with myself, and how I can't talk yet. And I just want to be better for Peter, I don't want to turn out like my dad. And I just...wish I could tell him how much I love him, I want him to _hear_ me say it...but I can't get past this stupid block in my brain. And I hate it." Tony found that once he started, he kept going, feeling the need to get these thoughts out of his brain.

May studied him in silence for a moment.

"You know, when we first got Peter...I was terrified. There was this young kid, who just lost his parents, and I was supposed to pick up the pieces? I remember panicking every night after we'd put him to sleep. I didn't think I could do it, I didn't think I could be what he needed. I wasn't his mom, and I didn't need to be, but I had to be _something_ to him. And that was terrifying." He hung onto every word she said, finding comfort in them somehow. "And I remember Ben telling me one night, that until he had a kid, until we had Peter, he had no idea the capacity he had to love someone. He loved me, sure. But, parental love is a whole other level entirely. There's this small person, and suddenly you know that you would do absolutely anything for them. It's overwhelming, and exhausting at times, but it's beautiful. I got to see him turn into such an incredible kid, with such a big heart. And that made it all worth it." She stopped speaking, and he let her words wash over him. Suddenly feeling less alone in this burden of trying to be _something_ to Peter.

"But that in no way means that I am any less terrified everyday that I am going to do something to ruin him. That somehow my problems are going to end up hurting him. I live in fear of that day after day, especially since Ben died. And I don't know you're father, but I know enough to know that he's the reason that you fear the same thing. But Tony, we can't let that fear stop us from being HERE, being present and enjoying the moments life gives us with him. You've been through so much Tony, and you didn't come out unscathed. I'd honestly be worried if you did. But those problems, your PTSD, the anxiety, the lack of speech, you never let that affect Peter. And that's how I know you love him. You are hurting, but you would and have shoved all of that aside, in sake of Peter. I know that if he needed you, you would stop at nothing to help him, even at your own personal risk. And trust me, he knows that. He knows you love him, he knows you are proud of him. With Peter, actions have always spoken louder than words. He _knows_." He felt her grasp his hand, and give it a supporting squeeze. He realized that there were tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Thank you, May." he signed, wishing he could express how much her words helped him, helped ease that self hatred and doubt inside him. But then she smiled at him, and he knows she understood.

"Okay, I'm going to give you a minute. Freshen up. Then you can come upstairs and we can watch a movie?" She said, her voice gentle. He nodded, albeit shakily. She gave him a hug, letting it last several minutes, before leaving the room. He took several deep breaths, letting the calm of the moment seep deep into his bones. And then he went upstairs.

They were all sitting on the couch, Pepper and May on one side, sharing a blanket, and Peter on the other side, with a spot open for him.

"Hey, Dad." Peter said, smiling at him. And Tony felt his world balance out, and he was calm.

"Hey, kid." he signed, sitting down. He felt at ease as Peter tucked himself into Tony's side, his hand automatically finding his curls. And in that moment he knew, he would happily never get his voice back, if it meant Peter was in his life, safe and happy.

\---

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since the Avengers were freed from house arrest, and were officially cleared for missions. And it had been two weeks since Peter had started going out as Spider-Man again.

Peter had been pretty good at following Tony's wishes, and not getting in over his head. If anything serious happened while he was on patrol he usually called Tony, who then sent an Avenger out to help him, usually Natasha. Tony had finished the nano-tech suit, but he still wasn't completely ready to be Ironman again, and the others were glad to help.

But then they got news of a unstable man, holding an entire street in Queens hostage, with a bomb strapped to his chest, and supposedly more all throughout the street. And normally, they would let the police handle this, but the man was demanding the Avengers. And so they went. Tony stayed in the quinjet, away from the scene. The team had agreed it wasn't safe for him to get in the middle of things without being able to properly communicate with them. He had been working on a way around that, but it wasn't perfect, so he didn't want to risk it.

Tony watched as the scene played out on Cap's body cam. He forced him to wear one, so that Tony could see what was going on. Cap, still eager to be on Tony's good side, agreed. He watched as Cap, flanked by Natasha and Clint, approached the man slowly.

"Sir, my name is Steve Rogers. Would you like to tell me why you are threatening to hurt all of these people?" Cap said, in a calm voice, hands up in front of him. The man looked completely gleeful at the sight of the Avengers.

"Well if it isn't Captain America. Not exactly the one I want to see, but maybe you can help me get what I want." The man said, and his voice sounded strangely calm, for having a bomb strapped to his chest. That made Tony uneasy.

"And what is it that you want?" Cap asked. The man smiled murderously.

"Revenge."

"Revenge on who? These innocent people?" Natasha then spoke up, her voice calculating. The man's grin grew wicked as he shifted his eyes to her, and it made Tony's stomach lurch.

"Tony Stark." And Tony's heart dropped into his chest. Of course it was his fault someone was threatening to blow up an entire city street. He clenched his fists, wondering if he should go out there, but he didn't want to make it worse.

"And why is that?" Clint asked next, casually as if talking about the weather. And Tony commended all of them, for being able to stay so calm.

"He killed my son. And I want him to feel pain. So, I would like to pay him back." the man said, then gesturing his hands. And what Tony saw next, made him puke.

Two men, dressed in all black, came out of an alley way, giant guns pointed at the figure in their arms. And that figure was Peter. He was dressed as Spider-Man, so they must have grabbed him during patrol. Tony lost what little lunch he had eaten out of the side of the quinjet. His hands started to shake in fear. He typed out a phrase for FRIDAY to relay to the team on the field.

'_That's my kid, Cap. That's Peter_.' He could see Cap stiffen and Natasha and Clint reach for their weapons. He swallowed hard, trying to keep calm, but failing.

"Why don't you let Spider-Man go, and we can talk about this calmly. Get you some help." Cap started to negotiate. His voice still sounded strong to the others, but Tony could hear the almost imperceptible tremor in his voice.

"Yeah, I can do that. But first I'm going to do this." He reached into his pocket and brought out a syringe, stabbing Peter in the neck with it, before the shot from Natasha's gun hit him in the arm. After that everything happened so quickly. The men holding Peter let him go, and the man surrendered himself. It couldn't have been that easy, and Tony was worried about whatever Peter had been injected with.

He watched Peter closely, and he seemed fine, helping the team apprehend the suspects and deliver them into custody. Tony calmed a little, hoping his spider metabolism was fighting whatever was sent into his system, and that's why he was okay.

But then when all the suspects were apprehended, and taken off scene, and the street was cleared of any bomb threat, Peter collapsed. He collapsed like someone had cut his strings. It took Tony all of ten seconds to activate the suit and fly to Peter's crumpled form.

He placed his glove on Peter's chest, knowing FRIDAY would check his vitals. Please be okay, please be okay, he chanted in his mind.

"No vitals detected Boss." FRIDAY said, sorrow in her mechanical voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh cliffhanger....sorry?? I hope you guys liked it! Leave a comment please!
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon, but I am moving back to college this weekend so that might take up a lot of my time.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! 
> 
> Thanks for the positive feedback on the last chapter even though I ended on that cliffhanger. 
> 
> I know some of you were confused about the last chapter and I hope this will clear things up!
> 
> Enjoy!

"But first I'm going to do this." Peter heard the man say, before his senses screamed danger, and there was a syringe being driven into his neck. He felt something being released, but he felt no immediate effect, so he just hoped that his metabolism was taking care of everything. He was then let go, and soon they were escorting the men to police vehicles. Peter was confused on why it was so easy, and why the only thing that man had wanted to do was stab him with something. This man had threatened to blow up an entire city street unless Peter came with him, and that's all he did?

While he was helping clean up, he could feel his heartbeat slowing down, and his breathing also slow. He didn't feel any different though, so he chalked it up to the adrenaline drop. Until the slowing of his heartbeat, and the lack of oxygen, could no longer support his body, and he collapsed.

He felt stuck in his own body, his eyes had closed but he couldn't open them, and he couldn't move his body. His heartbeat only beat once every minute or so, and Peter knew that wasn't right, because he was still fully conscious in his head. He heard the familiar sound of repulsors, and Tony's suit landing a foot away, and he knew he would be okay. He knew Tony would know what to do.

He felt Tony's armored hand resting on his chest, probably to check his vitals. His heart was still beating so he knew Tony would be able-

"No vitals detected Boss." He heard FRIDAY's voice in the suit respond. And no...that couldn't be right.

"No." he heard a voice say, from somewhere by Tony, cracked and rusty. He heard Tony's breathing pick up, and then Tony's flesh hand was on his neck, checking a pulse. It's there Dad, it's there, come on it's there. He heard Tony's breathing stop for a second, before he heard something he never thought he'd hear again, but something he'd never wanted to hear like that.

"NO! Peter, Peter please. Don't be dead, please kid, please don't be-don't be dead." Tony's voice rang out, and a hush came over the others. Peter was shocked. Tony's voice was ragged, but not even from disuse, but from the grief and pain that was present in his voice. And that was not how Peter wanted to hear his dad's voice again for the first time. _Please, I'm not dead Dad, I'm right here. I'm alive._

"No no no no no. Please, no. Peter? Please tell me you're faking it bud. Please wake up. Please. No." Tony's voice was interrupted by his choking sob. Peter tried his hardest to move anything, his fingers, his toes, anything, but to no avail. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault, I'm so sorry baby. Peter, I love you. I love you so much...Please-" his sobs became desperate, as he clinged to Peter's motionless body.

"Tony, let's get him on the jet." Cap's calm voice, laced with sadness, rang out. He felt Tony grip him tighter, but he must have agreed because soon his dead weight was being lifted in the air. As they walked to the jet, he had to listen to Tony's heartbreaking sobs that were still wracking his body.

Once they were in the jet, Tony settled himself on a cot, tucking Peter into his chest, the way they would do on movie night. And Peter focused all of his energy on getting one of his stupid limbs to move. He had to let them know he wasn't dead. He had to. He couldn't listen to his dad's sobs anymore.

"Tony, are you alright?" he heard Natasha ask from beside him. He felt Tony shake his head. "Do you want me to call Pepper, or Rhodey?" she asked then, and Tony let out a strangled noise, before shaking his head again. He felt Natasha leave, and Tony started rocking them side to side, as if he was only calming Peter down from a nightmare.

"Hey, Petey. It's time to wake up now okay? No more sleeping on the job. I have suit updates I want to show you. And remember you got mad at me for never seeing any of the Harry Potter movies? We were going to have a marathon before school started back up. So it's time to wake up okay?" Tony started whispering in his ear, hand moving through Peter's hair. His voice was starting to sound hysteric.

Peter focused all of his energy on moving his hand, the one Tony had his other hand wrapped around. He tried so hard, and he could have sworn he felt his finger twitch, and then his heartbeat stuttered, and started beating slightly faster than before. He twitched his hand again, this time he was more successful, he heard Tony gasp.

"Pete? Can you hear me? Peter. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand. Come on Pete, come on." Peter twitched his finger as best he could, and he heard Tony let out a disbelieving sound.

"Cap! Peter moved, he just moved!" Tony shouted, sounding slightly insane.

"Are you sure Tony?" he heard Steve ask pity in his voice, then two fingers were being placed on his pulse point.

"I think I feel a pulse, it's weak, but it's there." He heard a new voice, it sounded like Bruce. Peter then felt his heartbeat continue to pick up speed. Then a few minutes later, it came back full force, and he was sitting up gasping.

"Peter! It's okay bud, you're okay." Tony said, pulling him into an impossibly tight hug. He let Tony hold him, for the remainder of the flight, because he couldn't bring himself to deprive Tony of this comfort. He couldn't get Tony's broken voice out of his mind.

"We are here. Let's get him to the Medbay, so I can do some tests. Make sure whatever was in his system is gone, and isn't going to hurt him further." Bruce said, as they landed the quinjet. Tony nodded, standing up with Peter still cradled in his arms, refusing Steve's offer to carry him.

"No Cap, I-I got him. Just let me do it." Tony whispered, voice still cracking with emotion. Peter felt his heart clench, guilt filling his insides at the grief he had just put Tony through. And by the time Tony laid Peter down on the bed, he was full on panicking.

"Peter, C-lm do-. St-p moving." Tony's voice filtered in and out, unable to make it through the pounding in his ears.

"We need--sedate---stop---tests." He heard Bruce's voice, and Tony must have agreed, because soon everything went black.

\---

He woke up to the sound of beeping. He opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room. May was sitting next to his bed, signing speedily to Pepper, who was sat on a couch in the corner of the room. He was confused why they weren't talking, until he looked down. In Pepper's lap, was Tony, fast asleep. None of them were aware that he was awake, so he sat there trying to figure out what happened to cause him to be in the Medbay. Then it all came back to him and he sat up quickly.

"Hey, baby. It's okay, take a deep breath." May said, rushing to his side. He did as she asked, Pepper looking on silently as not to wake Tony up.

"Is he okay?" Peter asked quietly, when he had calmed down. May's eyes flashed with grief for a brief moment.

"He was pretty torn up. I guess after they sedated you, he freaked out. He was in the middle of an intense panic attack when we got here. He finally crashed a little bit ago. We should let him sleep okay?" she said softly, and guilt bloomed in his chest as he nodded. He felt a lump in his throat forming, and soon silent tears were falling down his face.

"Hey what's wrong? He'll be okay Peter, so will you." May said, concern all over her face. He sniffed a couple of times, before finding his voice.

"I could hear him. The entire time, he thought I w-was d-d-ead." Peter said, voice coming out in a whisper. May's eyes widened and she wrapped him in a hug, shushing him softly.

"What do you mean you could hear him Peter?" May asked, a couple minutes later. Peter got confused at that and pulled away.

"I mean I could hear him. He was begging me to wake up, to not be dead. He sounded so broken, are you sure he's okay?" He responded, looking to Pepper. Pepper had her eyes trained on the slumbering genius in her arms, brows furrowed. She looked up at his words.

"Yeah, he'll be okay." Pepper whispered so quietly, only his enhanced ears could pick it up. Peter nodded, trying to convince himself that what she said was true. He laid back down, and took to staring at the ceiling. He could sense Pepper and May's concern, but he was so exhausted and worried, that he couldn't bring himself to reassure them.

After what felt like hours, and after May excused herself, reluctantly, to head to work, a grunting noise came from the sleeping man in Pepper's lap. Peter sat up, and watched as Pepper's eyes widened and flew to Tony in shock. They both watched, silently, as Tony slowly came to, slowly blinking the sleep away. Until his eyes widened, and he sat up, almost taking Pepper out in the process.

"Peter!" he shouted, eyes flying around the room before they finally landed on Peter, who was watching as Pepper's hand flew to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. Tony didn't notice though, rushing to Peter's bedside, pulling him into a hug.

"Oh Peter! I'm so glad you are okay. I'm so sorry. You're okay, thank all the gods, including Thor, you're okay!" Tony mumbled into Peter's curls, tears finding their way into his hair. Peter hugged him back, just as desperately, but his eyes were still trained on Pepper's shocked figure.

"How are you feeling?" Tony then asked, cupping Peter's cheeks as he pulled away. Peter's eyes flickered to his face.

"I feel fine, but um...maybe you should check on Pepper?" Peter said, worry lacing his tone as he looked back at the woman who still had yet to move. Tony's eyebrows furrowed before he whirled around, rushing over to Pepper.

"Hey, honey. Tell me what's wrong." Tony asked her, gently holding her shoulders. Peter was a little confused as to how Tony didn't realize why Pepper was so shocked.

"You-Tony you're talking!" She finally said, snapping out of her frozen state. Peter watched as Tony's face went from confused to surprised. He sat down heavily on the couch.

"Huh." was the only thing to come out of his mouth.

"Did...did you not notice?" Peter then asked, amusement filling his voice. Tony looked up at him, and then at Pepper, before shaking his head.

"I...guess I didn't. I was too worried about you kid." Tony said then, heading back over to Peter's bed.

"I'm sorry." Peter said somberly, ducking his head. Tony grabbed his chin and tilted it back up to face him.

"Hey, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault. I'm just so glad you are okay." he said, relief evident in his tone. And Peter had forgotten how comforting he found his dad's voice.

"What happened? I remember being conscious, but you all thought I was dead." Peter asked then, and Tony's face fell slightly.

"You were conscious?" he asked, voice tight. Peter nodded. "I'm so sorry Pete. That must have been terrible. But-uh that guy injected you with a chemical that slowed your heart rate so much, that you appeared dead. Bruce...uh Bruce created it forever ago. I have no idea how that guy got a hold of it." Tears were swimming in Tony's eyes as he explained. Peter nodded, looking away.

"Let's just stop talking about it, for a while. I'll go get Bruce, have him check you over, then hopefully we can get you out of here." Tony said after a couple minutes, heading out of the room, deflecting like he usually did.

"It's going to be okay Peter. You two are the strongest people I know. You'll get through it." Pepper said quietly. And Peter was very grateful for her comforting words.   
\---

Hours later, Peter and Tony were sitting comfortably on the couch in the penthouse living room. Everyone had fussed over Peter for a while, before Tony shooed them off, demanding time for himself. There was a random Disney movie playing on the TV, but neither of them were paying attention to it. They were too busy soaking in the fact that they were both okay.

"Pete?" Tony asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" Peter asked, shaking off the drowsiness he had been feeling.

"How did those guys even grab you? Why didn't you call me?" Tony asked, and Peter could tell he had been asking himself that question all day.

"Um, I wanted to but...they cornered me while I was on patrol. I could see that he had a bomb, and he said he had planted other bombs all over Queens. And uh...if I didn't come with him, he was going to set them off. It would have killed so many people so I went with him. He said if I came quietly, then he wouldn't hurt anyone." Peter said, and he felt Tony's grip tighten around him.

"Pete-"

"I had to! He was going to hurt people!" Peter defended. Tony shushed him gently.

"Why did you call me? Why didn't Karen notify me you were taken?" Tony asked, voice tight, most likely blaming himself.

"He made me make sure she couldn't. I had to shut her off." Peter said quietly. Tony opened his mouth to respond when they heard the elevator doors open down the hall. Soon, Natasha walked into the room, looking worse for wear. Peter was slightly surprised she was allowed up here without having to ask Tony first, but he figured after what happened, Tony probably didn't care.

"Tasha, what happened?" Tony asked. She sat down tiredly in the armchair next to the couch, with a sigh.

"We finished interrogating that lunatic." She said, voice filled with venom.

"Did you figure out how he got that chemical? And how he knew who Peter was and how he was connected to me?" Tony asked anxiously. And Peter's eyes widened. In all the craziness, he didn't even think about how that guy knew who he was, and why he wanted to take him. Natasha nodded grimly.

"Apparently the guy used to work for SI. His son was killed during your fight with Obadiah somehow, he wouldn't go into it. After that, he took to watching you for years, trying to pinpoint your weaknesses. The agents found all sorts of pictures of you in his apartment, and pictures of you and Peter. When he noticed you out with Peter a of couple time, he started following him as well, and that's how he found out about Spider-Man. Then once he got a hold of the chemical, and the fake bombs, he decided to strike. He wanted you to feel the pain of losing someone close to you. The guy was an idiot though. Didn't know the chemical didn't actually kill the person." She finished with an eye roll.

"Does anybody else know about Peter?" Tony asked. Natasha shook her head.

"No, he didn't even tell his lackeys. They just thought he had a vendetta against Spider-Man too. I'll keep an ear out though, just in case. I have some old contacts I could use." Natasha said, and he watched as Tony deflated with relief.

"Good, that's good. What are they doing with him?" he asked, eyes turning dark with anger for a split second. Peter didn't like that look at all.

"Rhodey got him taken to the Raft. He probably doesn't really need to be that contained, but Rhodey's pissed. He was going to head over here when he was done overseeing the transfer." Natasha said. Tony nodded, looking pleased.

"Thanks Tasha." he said. She took that as her cue to leave, standing up and coming over to Peter. "I'm glad you're okay, kid." She said, giving him a hug, before disappearing back down the hall.   
\---  
Peter woke with a start, remnants of the nightmare still playing in his head. He looked around, he had fallen asleep on the couch with Tony, but Tony wasn't there. Rhodey was though, and he stood up quickly when he noticed Peter was awake.

"Pete! I'm so glad you're okay!" Rhodey exclaimed before hurrying over and giving him a hug. Peter returned the hug, feeling warmth inside at how much he was cared for.

"Where's Dad?" he asked, after they pulled away. A sort of dark look passed over Rhodey's face for a split second.

"The lab. He forced me to watch over you so he could escape down there, I don't think he's doing too well, kid. He locked me out, but maybe you could get in?" Rhodey said, and Peter felt guilt and worry simultaneously flood over him. He nodded, heading to the elevators.

"Good luck, Pete." Rhodey called, right before the elevator doors closed.

When he reached the lab doors, they were blacked out, blocking him from seeing what was going on inside. He typed in his code to the door, knowing it wouldn't work. So he was very surprised when after a few moments, the doors unlocked. He walked inside quietly, looking around until his eyes found Tony. He was hunched at his work table, furiously typing on one screen, while a video played on a hologram next to him.

When he got got closer he realized it was Natasha's interrogation of the bomber. Peter flinched a little, not wanting to relive that moment. So, when he reached the desk, he waved the video away, gaining the older man's attention.

"What are you doing here, kid?" Tony asked, voice raw. Peter looked at him, eyes narrowed.

"I could ask you the same question." Peter said, pulling up a stool to sit across from the man. Tony looked at him flatly.

"I was watching the interrogation, so I could know what happened. I need to make sure no one finds out about you again, so I've been going through the internet and getting rid of any paparazzi photos of us."

"Why?" was all Peter could think of responding with. Tony looked at him incredulously.

"Why? Because I wasn't careful, and someone hurt you." Tony said, voice tight with emotion. His eyes flashed with protectiveness.

"It wasn't your fault. You must know that." Peter said, and when Tony didn't respond, Peter deflated.

"Dad, it wasn't your fault. And I'm okay! Please don't spiral, you just started talking again." Peter said, desperately. Tony winced at his words, before letting out a sigh.

"You're right. Okay, I'm still going to make sure no one can hurt you, but I will accept it wasn't...my fault." Tony replied sounding like the last part pained him to say. Peter rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's get out of here. Rhodey is worried about you." Peter then said, pulling at Tony's arm until he followed, a goofy smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it? 
> 
> Let me know in the comments please!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait, idk when my last chapter was even posted honestly. Anyway, I got a little discouraged with the story, which was dumb but here we are. And then that combined with my first week of classes, I had NO time, so I'm sorry. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!! I'm trying to decide if I should make the next chapter an epilogue type thing and end it, or if you guys want to see more of their journey. Let me know what you think!!
> 
> TW: panic attacks

"Tony, you need to breathe, come on." Tony heard a voice drift through the static in his head, as he struggled to breathe. He had woken up from a nightmare, and immediately fell into a panic attack.

"Come on. You're okay, everyone's okay. You're at the Tower, breathe." the voice became clearer as Tony focused on slowing his breaths. When he finally calmed down, he looked up to see Natasha kneeling over him. He was on the couch in the living room, confused at how he got here.

"What? Peter?" He choked out, still shocked that the words actually came out of his mouth. Natasha seemed to understand what he was asking, because she quickly helped him sit up before talking.

"Peter is fine. You guys fell asleep on the couch, but he left to go visit May at work, he asked me to keep an eye on you." Tony nodded absently, before the words finally sunk in.

"He hired a babysitter?" Tony asked, voice still rough, but filled with faux offense. Natasha rolled her eyes fondly, before turning serious.

"He's worried about you. You went through something traumatic. Thinking a kid, who is practically your son, was dead. That can take a toll on someone. And considering what just happened, he's right to worry." Natasha said, and Tony let out a sigh.

"Yeah, it sucked. And I have nightmares about it. But...I can't help but think that if...if I hadn't been through that, I wouldn't be speaking to you right now. At least now...I can actually tell him how much I love him." Tony replied, voice cracking, feeling extremely vulnerable. Natasha's eyes softened at his words, but fortunately she didn't force the subject.

"Okay, so I heard from Pepper, that there was an important day coming up." Natasha said, handing him a cup of coffee she seemed to have at the ready. He took it gratefully.

"Uh, did I forget our anniversary? How much trouble am I in?" Tony asked, panic increasing uncomfortably, eyebrows crinkling. Natasha let out a melodious laugh.

"No, no. You haven't missed that yet. You should probably have FRIDAY remind you, but no. The 27th? Ringing any bells?" Natasha said, dangling the occasion in front of him like bait. Tony racked his brain before realizing it.

"Oh! Petey's birthday! I can't believe I almost forgot!" Tony said, standing up, pacing. Natasha watched him, eyes filled with amusement.

"What do you have planned?" she asked. Tony smiled.

"Well, May said I couldn't do anything extravagant. Which me? Extravagant? Who does she think she is?" Tony replied, cheekily.

"Oh yeah, you're a real simpleton. Keep going." Natasha said flatly.

"Tough crowd. Okay, well now that I'm okay with all of you guys for the most part, and he loves you guys. I was going to have a big dinner with the whole team, followed by the typical cake and presents thing." Tony said, excitement dancing in his eyes, a nice change from the panic of before.

"Oh? What are you getting him?" She asked, and Tony glared at her, but it lacked actual heat.

"None of your business. You'll find out with everyone else. Which reminds me, I need to go work on it. Tell Pete to warn FRIDAY before he comes down." Tony said, already heading to the elevator.

"Hey! You gonna be okay shellhead?" Natasha called softly from the living room. Tony peaked his head back into the room, seeing the concern in her eyes. He smiled softly.

"I think so. I'm trying to focus on the positive outcome of everything." Tony said, and Natasha hid her surprise quickly.

"Good. Now go play with your toys. I'll send Peter down later." Natasha said, and Tony quickly headed to the lab.   
\---

"Dad! Natasha said you were down here!" he heard Peter's voice as the doors to the lab opened. Tony wheeled around in his chair, watching as his son came bounding into the room.

"Hey, kiddo. Yeah, I came to work on some stuff. Top secret. How's May?" Tony asked, trying to throw Peter off. It seemed to work, because the kid launched into his story quickly, but not as enthusiastically as normal. Tony felt a spike of worry flare up, but pushed it aside to listen to the kid.

"She's good. We had lunch in the hospital cafeteria, which isn't as bad as the people on TV make it seem like." Peter said quickly, before his face changed, eyebrows furrowing. 

"Hey, Natasha also said you had a panic attack. Are you okay?" Peter asked, coming closer in his concern. Tony gave him a smile, that he hoped was reassuring.

"Yeah, I did. But, everything is all good now that you're here. Now let's plan your birthday, what kind of cake do you like?" Tony said, hoping this would distract the kid as well. He could tell that Peter was acting different, and he figured they could both use the distraction. He wanted to question the kid, but he knew that sometimes that wasn't the right approach with Peter.

"My birthday? You remembered my birthday?" Peter asked, voice filled with surprise.

"'Course I did, kiddie. What kind of dad would I be if I didn't? Now cake?" Tony said, pretending to ignore the slight tears forming in Peter's eyes and the watery smile. But he hid the fact that he was still watching the kid closely, just in case.

"Um yeah, promise you aren't going to go overboard, Dad?" Peter asked, after a few moments. Tony scoffed.

"I promise. I already got that speech from May. But, we are going to have to get a custom cake if it's going to feed all of the Avengers and Nerd 2 and 3." Tony said, turning around, bringing up a hologram that listed cake flavors, just to be dramatic. And to give his hands something to do, still feeling jittery from that morning.

"Wait? The Avengers are coming?! No way!" Peter exclaimed, starting to sound more like his normal self. 

"Yeah, they all kind of like you...I guess? So, I had to invite them." Tony said, scrolling through different cake designs now.

"Wait..who's Nerd 1?" Peter then asked suddenly. Tony let out a barking laugh. "Not funny!" Peter then said, trying not to laugh over his fake glare.

"It was. Let's get back to the important question, chocolate, vanilla, or something fancy?" Tony said, grabbing Peter by the shoulders, in an attempt to get him to focus.

"Ugh, fine. Um, chocolate?" Peter said, unsure. Tony rolled his eyes.

"How can you be so hesitant about cake flavors?" Tony asked, flabbergasted. Peter looked offended for a second before there was an interruption.

"Sir, Steve Rogers is at the door for you." FRIDAY's voice rang out, confusing the pair. But, what was more confusing was the spike of panic Tony felt at that name. He didn't know why he was suddenly feeling shy about being around Rogers, but he had learned long ago that his anxiety never played by the rules. He looked up at Peter, eyes wide, showing his panic. Peter's eyebrows furrowed.

"Hey? What's wrong, do you want me to tell him to go away?" Peter asked, settling a hand on Tony's shoulder. Tony opened his mouth to reply, but felt that all too familiar block in his throat. Which, of course, made him panic harder, thinking he'd lost his voice again. His breathing turned ragged, and he fell back into his rolling chair roughly, hand coming up to clutch at where the arc reactor used to be.

"Dad? I don't know what's happening. This is a panic attack right? Okay, um FRIDAY send Steve away, and maybe call Pepper, or May. Okay, Dad you gotta breathe, everything is okay. Steve is gone, it's okay." Peter said, kneeling down in front of Tony's chair, gripping his hands tightly. Tony tried to focus on the words and breathe, but for some reason, this time it wasn't helping. His breathing just kept getting worse, and soon his vision started to get spotty.

"Lay him down, Peter. In case he passes out. Come on, Tony I know it's hard, but you have to breathe. What happened?" He heard a voice trailing into existence through the pounding in his ears.

"I don't know, FRIDAY said that Steve was at the door, and then he...he just...he panicked." He could just barely make out the panic in Peter's voice, and he wished he could comfort him.

"Okay, Peter, you need to either calm down or leave. We can't have you panicking too okay? He will be okay." The voice comforted Peter, when he couldn't. And when Tony heard that, when he knew that his kid was taken care of, he let the darkness take over. He heard a voice shout his name, before it all went black.   
\---  
"There you go, Peter. You feeling better?" He heard a soft voice questioning Peter, as he slowly regained consciousness. Then when he heard sniffling, he blinked his eyes harder, trying to get his bearings.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He heard Peter's quiet voice reply, but it was scratchy. Like it always was after he had a panic attack. This thought forced Tony to sit up. His vision swam as he bolted upright, eyes searching for the owner of that voice.

"Tony. Hey slow down. Take a breath." He turned his head to meet the voice coming from his right. His vision cleared in time to show May sitting there handing him a cup of water. He waved it away impatiently, wanting to find Peter. He continued his search around the room, his eyes finally landing on Peter. He was sitting a few feet away, a blanket around his shoulders, Pepper sitting next to his, arms around him.

Tony turned to May, a questioning look in his eyes. She looked confused as to why he was not speaking, but she seemed to decide to ignore it. He was grateful for that, he just didn't want to test whether or not his voice was gone again. He still felt jittery with panic, and he didn't want to set himself over the edge.

"Peter's okay. He had a panic attack of his own, right after you passed out from yours. Which brings me back to the water. Drink. Now." May said, voice getting firmer towards the end. He glared at her, grudgingly taking the cup from her, doing as she asked. He didn't want to admit to her that the water helped clear the fog from his head.

"Good. Now can you explain what happened? Pepper says you've never passed out from a panic attack before, at least that she knows of." May said again, an accusing eyebrow raised. Tony swallowed, nervous to reply, but he let out a shaky breath steeling himself.

"Um, it's happened once or twice." Tony managed to get out, voice harsh and ragged. He let his shoulders slump a little in relief at hearing his own voice. May looked at him, clinically, waiting for him to continue. "I don't know May, I just couldn't calm down. Anxiety is like that sometimes." Tony finished, voice slowly growing stronger.

"Okay. Well, I know you're dying to, so go check on him." May said with a whisper, jerking her head in Peter's direction. Tony nodded, shakily getting to his feet. He walked over, nodding to Pepper, who slowly removed herself and walked over to May.

Peter looked up slowly at the loss of contact, finding Tony standing over him, sending him a shaky smile.

"Hey buddy, how you doing?" Tony asked softly, sitting down next to Peter, squeezing his knee. Peter visibly relaxed at the sound of his voice.

"I should be asking you that question. Are you...you know...okay?" Peter asked, voice quiet and hesitant. Tony let out a sigh, settling his arm around Peter's shoulders, for both his comfort and Peter's.

"I don't know kid. That hasn't happened in a long time. I don't know what set it off, I just heard Steve's name and freaked out. But then, I couldn't calm down, cause I uh-I thought my voice was gone again..." Tony trailed off, uncertainly. Peter sat up a little straighter under his arm.

"You know nothing would change right?" Peter spoke up quietly after a few moments, "If you couldn't talk again? Nothing would change, we'd all still love you. I'd still love you." Peter said, voice so quiet Tony had to strain his ears. Tony's heart warmed at the kid's words.

"I know, kid. It was just scary is all. Now how are you? Are you okay? I didn't mean to freak you out, I'm so sorry." Tony replied, turning to face Peter head on. Peter looked at him like he had grown a second head for a few seconds, before shaking his head lightly.

"Don't apologize for having a panic attack. I know you didn't mean it, I think...I was already feeling anxious today. So when you passed out...it scared me, and my anxiety decided to freak out. No biggie. I think that's why I couldn't comfort you like I usually do, I was trying to stop myself from panicking." Peter said turning away, staring across the room at something. Tony tutted, bringing his hand up to Peter's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Uh uh. Nope. If I don't get to apologize, you don't get to deflect and blame yourself. Now, please...next time you are feeling like this can you tell me? So we can avoid this?" Tony asked softly, searching Peter's eyes.

"Yeah, if you promise to tell me." Peter rebutted, and yeah Tony should have seen that coming. Tony nodded, and watched as Peter gave him a grateful smile.

"Should we head back to the ladies?" Tony asked then, earning a small giggle from his kid, which was like music to his ears. Peter stood up, helping Tony, before they headed back over to where the two women were pretending not to listen.

"Tony, are you okay?" Pepper asked, as soon as Tony reached her side, watching as May enveloped Peter in a hug. Tony looked at the concern in Pepper's eyes, and felt a little guilty for being the one to put it there.

"Yeah, honey. I'm okay now. I'm sorry if I scared you." Tony said, pulling her into a gentle hug, kissing her cheek. He heard her let out a huff of air next to his ear.

"It's okay. Let's just try not to let it happen again yeah? We are just lucky to have a nurse in the house now. May really knew what to do." Pepper said, giving him a kiss, before pulling away from their hug but staying close, letting her fingers trail comfortingly on the base of his neck. He relaxed slightly at the touch. Tony turned his attention to May, who was ruffling Peter's hair.

"Thanks May." Tony said, hoping to convey how grateful he was in those few words. She looked at him and winked.

"No problem. Somebody has to be the mature adult in all of this mess. And Pepper doesn't have the time." May said, earning a snort from Peter, and an amused laugh from Pepper. Tony just sent her a dry look in reply to her cheeky smile.

"Okay, let's go upstairs. We have a birthday party to plan. And our kid is very indecisive about cake flavors. And FRI, just keep the others out for a couple hours...just in case." Tony said, leading the group outside, avoiding their questioning looks to his last statement. And Peter, being the angel he was, changed the subject quickly.

"How am I supposed to pick one flavor when you give me so many options Dad. It's like...impossible!" Peter said, gesturing wildly as they entered the elevator. Tony winked at him, as a thank you, and Peter nodded slightly back.

"Yeah Tony, not everyone is used to having every flavor imaginable available to them. Maybe we should have some samples sent over." Pepper said, looking between the two of them. Peter seemed to perk up at the idea of trying cake, so Tony nodded. "Alright, I will go order some samples. May, do you want to help me pick, so we can surprise Peter?" May looked at Pepper, and they seemed to have a silent conversation as they all exited the elevator and walked into the living room. 

"That's a great idea, let's go to the kitchen." May agreed, and the two women left them alone. Tony led Peter to the couch. 

"I know you want to ask, so go ahead." Peter spoke up after a few minutes. Tony raised his eyebrows at the kid.

"Okay, why were you so anxious today, bud? Anything I can help with?" Tony asked, keeping his voice soft and comforting. Peter just shrugged. 

"I don't know why. Sometimes I just have these days where my thoughts won't turn off, and then everything just makes me anxious. That's why I went to visit May, she usually helps." Peter said, and Tony just nodded, staying quiet for a few moments. 

"Well, if you ever want company on those days, and May isn't around, you can find me. I know how you feel." Tony whispered, and felt Peter relax next to him. 

"Thanks, Dad." he responded, voice already sounding lighter than earlier. Tony smiled back, pressing a kiss to his son's forehead, basking in the comforting silence. Then when the women reentered the room, it felt as if the atmosphere lifted. And Tony found himself calm down with every smile that graced his kid's face. He found himself remembering the words May spoke to him, what felt like forever ago. He agreed with Ben, you never really know the capacity you have to love someone, until you have a kid. And he was eternally grateful that he had Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! I hope you liked it? I know it was kinda short, but I just wanted to get the point across that Tony wasn't completely healed by everything, he's still going to struggle, since healing is never that easy. 
> 
> But if you read the author's note at the beginning, I asked if you guys felt like I should make the next chapter the epilogue or if I should continue and see where the story takes us?? What do you think? Maybe a sequel???? IDK give me ideas!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOSH!!! I am soooo sorry about the long wait! College just got insane, and I had a bit of writer's block, and yeah. But here it is...the last chapter....I really hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> It is completely, 10000000% pure fluff. 
> 
> Please enjoy, and read the author's note at the end.

Peter woke up to a calloused hand, gently trailing through his curls. He blinked his eyes open slowly, smiling tiredly at the person sitting next to him. After blinking a few more times, he made out the gentle smile and pure love on his dad's face.

"Hey kiddie, happy birthday." Tony said then, voice no more that a whisper. But Peter could hear the pure love lacing his tone. Peter felt his insides warm being able to hear those two words in his dad's voice.

"Thanks, Dad." he whispered back, not wanting to break the serenity of the moment. Tony's face broke down into an even wider smile, which he didn't even know was possible. He brushed Peter's bangs back a few times, before speaking again.

"May and Pep made you a birthday breakfast. They found a recipe for birthday cake flavored waffles. They were going to make pancakes, but I informed them that you thought-"

"Waffles were the superior breakfast food. They are more considerate that pancakes, they have cups that hold your syrup." Peter finished for him, causing Tony to let out a light laugh. Which was music to Peter's ears, considering how long he had gone without hearing it.

"Exactly. Now, go freshen up and meet us in the kitchen. Then we can watch you stuff your face with this, frankly disgusting sounding, concoction." Peter stuck his tongue out at Tony before finally getting out of bed.

"Okay Dad, see you in a minute." Peter said heading to the bathroom. But before he could reach it Tony pulled him into a hug.

"Love ya kid." Tony said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, before quickly exiting the room. Peter let out a surprised laugh before heading to get ready.  
\---  
"Happy Birthday baby!" May shouted the second Peter entered the kitchen. He let out a laugh as he looked around the kitchen. It was a mess, flour and frosting everywhere. May rushed over and gave him a tight hug.

"Thanks, May." he said into her shoulder as she gave him one more squeeze. When she pulled away, Pepper came up right behind her.

"Happy birthday, love." she said, placing a kiss on his forehead. Peter gave her a shy smile in return before settling at the island counter. He looked around a bit more, finally noticing the absence in the room.

"Where's Dad?" he asked, confused. Pepper gave him a teasing smile.

"He came in here saying he was feeling too many emotions, so he needed to go work on your present a bit more before coming up. He'll be up when the waffles are done, don't worry." Peter nodded, knowing that Tony was still new to this being emotional thing, so he needed his space.

After about twenty minutes of Peter laughing at Pepper and May's struggles to make him waffles, he heard the elevator ding behind him.

"You know, if I had known that having a kid meant such a messy kitchen, I might have opted out." Tony's voice rung out as he stood behind Peter, resting his hands on his shoulders. Peter smiled up at him.

"That's rude. I'm not even the one making the mess." Peter defended.

"Hmm." Tony grunted, "But May is an extension of you, so..." Tony said, causing everyone in the kitchen to laugh.

"Tony, you watch yourself or I will poison your waffles." May said, pointing a frosting covered spatula at the man. Tony pretended to look scared.

"Okay, kid. Eat your dessert waffles, and then me and you are gonna hang in the lab, before all the people get here for your big celebration." Tony said, handing Peter a plate, filled with mouthwatering waffles.

"You know you didn't have to do anything at all right?" Peter said, shoving a giant bite into his mouth.

"Nonsense. You only turn 17 once. Now. Eat." Tony said, shoving Peter's face down into his waffle, causing him to get frosting on the tip of his nose. He wanted to retaliate, but he caught sight of Pepper sneaking up behind Tony with a hand full of frosting. He giggled when she successfully smeared it all over his beard. He looked shocked for a moment, before giving her a dry look.

"You are lucky I love you. Because I will allow that. Pete, meet me in the lab when you are done." Tony said when he finished wiping his beard free of frosting. Pepper gave him a wink, and he shuffled off back towards the elevator.

"I think someone is realizing the slightly depressing part of their kid's birthday." May said from the sink where she was attempting to clean up.

"Wait...what." Peter said when he finally processed the words that had just been said.

"Well, Peter. Ever since you were little every birthday has always been a little sad, because you were growing up too fast. So, I just think Tony might be realizing that you are growing up, and he did just get you. He might be struggling a bit." May said, running her fingers through his hair, while Pepper smiled sympathetically.

"Well...what...what do I do to fix it?" Peter said, abandoning his waffles in a panic. May let out a small laugh.

"What like stop growing? No, just spend time with him, make sure he knows he's not gonna lose you as you get older. That man has abandonment issues like no one else." May said. Peter nodded determinedly, finishing his waffles quickly. He started towards the elevator before backtracking and turning to May.

"Wait, are you okay if I go hang out with Dad?" Peter asked timidly.

"Yeah, go! I'll come visit in a bit. I've had you for 11 years, he can have his turn." May said, giving him one last kiss on the cheek.  
\---

"Kid...hey Pete." Tony said, pulling Peter from his concentration. He looked up from his suit to see Tony watching him with an unreadable look in his eyes.

"Yeah, what's up?" Peter said, curiously. Tony looked down an an object in his hands, shifting nervously. Which made Peter sit up straighter, wondering what could possibly be making the normally confident man nervous.

"Well uh...I was thinking about giving you your present now...instead of at the party? Less prying eyes, so to speak?" Tony finally spit out, his voice sounding strained. Peter huffed a little laugh.

"You didn't have to get me anything at all Dad, but sure I would love to open it now." Peter said, watching as Tony's shoulders relaxed a little bit, though he still seemed tense.

"Yeah? Okay, yeah. Here." Tony said, thrusting a poorly wrapped package into Peter's hands. Peter glanced up at Tony before opening it, waiting for the man to nod his approval. He looked down and unwrapped the gift. When he finally got to the present, he couldn't help but stare at it for a couple minutes, unable to get any words out.

"Open it up Pete." Tony said gently, causing Peter to look up at him with wide eyes. Tony nodded at him with a small smile. Peter looked back down on the personalized metal box. It looked like it was made from the remains of one of Tony's suits, if the red and gold color was any indication. And on the lid, Tony had inscribed his name. _Peter Benjamin Parker_. Peter took a deep breath and opened the box, inside were a bunch of small items.

He set the box down and started pulling the items out one by one. He started with the small scrapbook. He opened it reverently, and inside he saw all the pictures him and Tony had taken together over the past few months. There were a bunch of them in the lab, and then with Rhodey and Pepper, and even a couple with May. Peter looked up at Tony with a smile, a pressure forming behind his eyes. He was about to say something when Tony cut him off.

"Hold up kid there's still more." Tony said, jerking his head to the box sitting on the work table. Peter nodded, setting the book down gently, as if he was going to break it. He reached in the box again, only to pull out a smaller box. He opened that and found a key chain, which also looked handmade, and knowing Tony it probably was. But when he read what was on it, a lump appeared in his throat.

"Is this...?" he choked out, unable to say anymore, for fear of breaking. Tony nodded with a soft smile.

"May let me use one of the birthday cards Ben gave you for reference." Tony said, and Peter felt his eyes burn with tears as he looked back down at the key chain. He traced his thumb over the letters.

_I love you, Pete._  
_Happy Birthday!_  
_Love, Uncle Ben_

Peter let out a wet laugh before reaching into the box and retrieving the last item, which was a letter. He looked up to Tony questioningly.

"Due to my heart condition, I'm gonna go over there, and make myself busy while you read that." Tony said, giving his shoulder a squeeze, before heading over and continuing his work. Peter narrowed his eyes suspiciously before opening the letter, and beginning to read.

_Dear Peter,_

_Happy Birthday, kid. I know I am not good with emotions, but you deserve better than that. So being the genius that I am, I found a way around that. You are an incredibly special kid, and I have no idea what I did in order to deserve to have you in my life. You came into my life when I needed you the most, and you helped me in ways you will probably never know. You learned sign language for me, and never treated me any differently. If it hadn't been for you, I don't think I would have ever gotten my voice back. And I don't mean the almost dying thing, which will never happen again, young man. It's because with your help I was able to heal, and I couldn't have done that without you. And somewhere along the way, I became your Dad. That was one of the happiest days of my life. And I would never want to replace your actual dad, or even Ben, but I am truly touched you think of me that way. I must not be too bad if a good kid like you thinks so highly of me. You are so good Peter, so good. And I am so glad I get to call you my son. You've made your old man very proud. Happy birthday Petey, and I hope I'll be around for so many more birthdays. I love you._

_Love, Dad_

_P.S. I figured it wouldn't be me unless this gift was a little more dramatic...so how would you feel about being a big brother?_

Peter looked into the envelope again, and found that there was still something inside of it. When he pulled it out, he squeaked in shock. It was a sonogram. He looked up with wide eyes.

"You're having a baby?!" he yelled incredulously. Tony finally looked up from his project, and Peter could tell he was excited.

"According to Pepper, yes." Tony replied, walking back over to him. Peter immediately trapped him in a hug.

"This is so exciting! I'm going to be the best big brother ever! I promise!" Peter said, squeezing Tony as hard as he could without using his super strength.

"I had no doubt in my mind that you would be, Pete." Tony said, returning the hug with just as much fervor.

"Dad. This present. It...thank you. I love it. I don't even know what to say..." Peter said, when he finally pulled away.

"I know, bud. I know. You know I love you right?" Tony said, even his eyes starting to look a little shiny.

"Yeah, I know. I love you too, Dad. Thanks for...just being my dad." Peter said softly, fighting the emotion welling up in his eyes as well. Tony's face softened even more than he thought was possible.

"Thanks for being my kid, kid." Tony said, a small smirk forming. Peter laughed.

"Let's go tell May the good news." Tony said, slipping his arm onto Peter's shoulders. Peter leaned into his side with a content sigh, following him to the elevators.

"She doesn't know?" he asked curiously. Tony shook his head.

"Nah, Pep and I decided the first one who got to know was the big brother." his dad replied, affection lacing his tone.

"Well don't I feel special." Peter retorted. But then he watched as Tony's face grew serious through the reflection of the elevator doors.

"You should Peter. Because you are." his dad said, pure, raw emotion filling his voice.

Peter gave him a bright smile, feeling the happiest he had felt in years. They had been through a lot, both of them having their rough days. But he would go through it all again, if it would lead to this moment. And something in him told him that his dad was thinking the exact same thing.

"Thanks Dad."

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys...it's over. How do you feel? Did you enjoy the ending?
> 
> Now first I wanted to thank you guys for all the amazing feedback throughout this entire story. It really kept me going, and I appreciated every. single. comment. You guys are the best.
> 
> Now for the fun announcement!!! I have decided there will be a sequel...but it might take a while to get started, I want to make sure I have a few solid chapters planned before I post it. BUUUUTTT, I am also going to do a little series of oneshots, that will be like missing moments from the story. So please leave any suggestions of what you would want to see in the comments!!
> 
> Love you guys, you are great! Also go check out my other stories, they aren't as great but I kinda like them!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	20. Sequel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not an update sorry!

Sorry, this isn’t a new chapter...

BUT I did start a sequel for this story called “if I love you was a promise” so go check it out!   
  


I also have a series of one shots for this story too, called “only you know the way that I break”.

The series is now titles “isn’t it lovely” 

I thought I’d announce that on this story so that those of you subscribed could find the other stories!   
  


please subscribe to those if you want! Or at least check them out if you enjoyed this story!   
  


I have another series too if you wanna check it out!   
  


thanks for all the support on this story! It’s been an amazing journey!   
  


-princessironspider 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the sequel and one shot series! 
> 
> And my other stories!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment or a kudos if you did!


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